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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.

Cartoonist Lynda Barry: Drawing 'has to come out of your body'

Cartoonist Lynda Barry: Drawing 'has to come out of your body'

Comic artist Lynda Barry has a new book, Making Comics, and a MacArthur Genius Grant (though she says she hung up on the MacArthur folks repeatedly because she thought it was a robocall).
by Etelka Lehoczky

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Cube Critics ride the 'Waves' with 'Queen and Slim' and 'Knives Out.'

Cube Critics Euan Kerr and Marcheta Fornoff lay out some Thanksgiving possibilities ranging from the tough love of “Waves” and “Queen and Slim” to the murderous humor of “Knives Out.”
by Euan Kerr and Marcheta Fornoff

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Don't like Harry Potter? Come to the 'Dork' side

Don't like Harry Potter? Come to the 'Dork' side

Our kids' books columnist Juanita Giles has a secret: Her kids don't care about Harry Potter. But they do like Mike Johnston's relatably hapless boy wizard Wick, star of Confessions of a Dork Lord.
by Juanita Giles

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Country music: Its history and appeal

Country music: Its history and appeal

Country music is wildly popular. More people are listening and its audience is becoming more diverse. But what is it about this genre that appeals to more than 129 million people in the U.S? Three experts joined the program to discuss what country music is today, how its sound has evolved over the years and its historical roots.
by Angela Davis and Karen Zamora

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Talking Volumes: Lindy West on 'The Witches Are Coming'

Talking Volumes: Lindy West on 'The Witches Are Coming'

If you have only experienced Lindy West’s writing online, you might mistake her sharp cultural commentary for anger. But as Kerri Miller and a Talking Volumes audience found out recently, she displays a surprising sense of optimism.
by Kerri Miller and Marcheta Fornoff

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'Labyrinth' is a leisurely wander through a life no longer remembered

'Labyrinth' is a leisurely wander through a life no longer remembered

Turkish author Burhan Sönmez's quiet, subtle fourth novel, about a man who wakes up in the hospital with complete amnesia, is deeply concerned with the linkages between memory and the body.
by Ilana Masad

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A 'Girl on Film' grows up and finds her artistic path

A 'Girl on Film' grows up and finds her artistic path

Spoiler alert: Cecil Castellucci never became a filmmaker, despite her Hollywood dreams. But her new graphic memoir winningly recounts how she found her way as a novelist and comics writer.
by Etelka Lehoczky

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On a Tom Waits covers album, women transform a classic catalog

On a Tom Waits covers album, women transform a classic catalog

Allison Moorer and producer Warren Zanes discuss making the tribute record Come On Up To the House, which also features Aimee Mann, Rosanne Cash and Phoebe Bridgers.
by Peter Breslow and Scott Simon

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Tom Hanks plays Mister Rogers: Sharing joy is 'the natural state of things'

Tom Hanks plays Mister Rogers: Sharing joy is 'the natural state of things'

Tom Hanks watched "about eight million hours" of Mister Rogers to prepare for A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Hanks doesn't necessarily consider himself "a nice guy," but rather "a joyful person."
by Scott Simon

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