Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

Arts and Culture

MPR News has you covered with news and stories about local art and culture happenings across Minnesota.

Art Hounds: Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what's exciting in local art. You can explore arts events here, or become an Art Hound today.

Art Reviews: Our arts team offers insight on the latest in theater, music, visual arts and more. We explore the breadth of creativity and innovation found throughout Minnesota, offering audiences a deeper understanding of the works and artists shaping our cultural landscape. Read more here.

Art Friend: Everyone needs an art friend. Art Friend is a new segment with our arts team. Art spaces can feel exclusive and art can be confusing, obtuse, and even boring. But, especially with the right context, everyone can be a critic. So let us be your guide- your Art Friend. Listen or read Art Friend stories here.

Our arts coverage is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

A very local 'Twelfth Night' hits the stage at the Guthrie

A very local 'Twelfth Night' hits the stage at the Guthrie

While Guthrie shows often feature Minnesota performers, the new production of Shakespeare’s comedy of love, assumed identities and some infamous yellow stockings, involved an all-Minnesota cast and director.
by Euan Kerr

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Author says 'mixed solutions can feel like a cop-out' but may solve housing inequity

Author says 'mixed solutions can feel like a cop-out' but may solve housing inequity

Journalist Conor Dougherty doesn't traffic radical ideas in “Golden Gates,” but tells the story of housing in all its complexity, acknowledging that imperfect solutions are often the only solutions.
by Nicholas Cannariato

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'Little Legends' celebrates big lives of black history

'Little Legends' celebrates big lives of black history

Vashti Harrison's new picture book showcases black leaders throughout American history — but not just the big names. She also focuses on artists, athletes and scientists who may be less well-known.
by David Greene

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
'And I Do Not Forgive You' pokes piquant fun at the patriarchy

'And I Do Not Forgive You' pokes piquant fun at the patriarchy

Amber Sparks' new story collection is full of vivid language, compelling imagery, sharp wit and tenderness; many of the pieces also share a thread of anger in their treatment of the patriarchy.
by Ilana Masad

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Missteps lead publishing industry to review diversity effort

Missteps lead publishing industry to review diversity effort

Diversity in publishing has been an industry issue for years. But the current controversy over Jeanine Cummins' novel “American Dirt" has intensified the debate. Flatiron Books admits it was caught off guard by the objections of Mexican American writers to Cummins' story of a mother and child fleeing to the U.S. border.
by The Associated Press

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

25 years of connecting young people to the arts

The couple behind Juxtaposition Arts, the north Minneapolis-based nonprofit, started the organization in 1995 to create opportunities for young people to have access to the arts. Now, 25 years later, JXTA has employed and trained hundreds of children and young adults for future jobs in various creative fields.
by Marianne Combs and Karen Zamora

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Stormy 'Weather' captures our anxious age with bracing wit

Stormy 'Weather' captures our anxious age with bracing wit

Jenny Offill's darkly funny, urgent new novel follows a librarian who gets involved in doomsday prepping. It's a perfect portrait of our age of rising anxiety over climate change and
by Heller McAlpin

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
What fictional pandemics can teach us about real-world survival

What fictional pandemics can teach us about real-world survival

People have been telling stories about pandemics for thousands of years — once, they were tales of divine retribution, but today they're often rooted in current events like the coronavirus outbreak.
by Neda Ulaby

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!