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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.

From lawn mowers to rock concerts, our 'Deafening World' is hurting our ears

From lawn mowers to rock concerts, our 'Deafening World' is hurting our ears

Volume Control author David Owen says our ears largely evolved in a far quieter time than the one we currently live in. He warns that the ambient noises that surround us pose a threat to our hearing.
by Dave Davies

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Jenny Slate's 'Little Weirds' is just not weird enough

Jenny Slate's 'Little Weirds' is just not weird enough

The stand-up comic's essays have soft and lovely moments, steering readers toward finding their own vulnerabilities. But Slate is not as open to self-exposure on the page as she is on the stage.
by Lily Meyer

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'The Great Pretender' seeks the truth 'on being sane in insane places'

'The Great Pretender' seeks the truth 'on being sane in insane places'

Journalist and Brain on Fire author Susannah Cahalan writes in an urgent, personal book that the '70s study by David Rosenhan had an outsized effect on psychiatry — and may have been fatally flawed.
by Michael Schaub

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In 'Get a Life, Chloe Brown,' love doesn't cure all — but it sure is fun

In 'Get a Life, Chloe Brown,' love doesn't cure all — but it sure is fun

Talia Hibbert's new novel stars Chloe, who's determined to get a life after years of coping with chronic pain, and Red, the mysterious and extremely annoying (at first) super at her new building.
by Denny S. Bryce

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Legendary Puerto Rican astrologer Walter Mercado dies at 88

Legendary Puerto Rican astrologer Walter Mercado dies at 88

Television astrologer Walter Mercado, whose glamorous persona made him a star in Latin media and a cherished icon for gay people in most of the Spanish-speaking world, has died. He was 88.
by The Associated Press

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'Felon' author says, 'everybody has to tell their kids something'

'Felon' author says, 'everybody has to tell their kids something'

Lawyer-poet Reginald Dwayne Betts for years hid the fact that he had served time in prison. Now, this time in his life is at the center of his new collection of poems.
by Leila Fadel

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You'll float away on the warm waters of 'The Starless Sea'

You'll float away on the warm waters of 'The Starless Sea'

Erin Morgenstern's long-awaited followup to The Night Circus imagines a world of magical doors leading to a literal underground sea — surrounded by layers of pleasurable mystery and mythography.
by Amal El-Mohtar

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In 'American Son,' Kerry Washington wants you to 'let yourself be in this nightmare'

In 'American Son,' Kerry Washington wants you to 'let yourself be in this nightmare'

Kerry Washington reprises her Broadway role in the Netflix adaptation, as a black mother whose son has gone missing. The film is a walk in the fearful shoes of the parent of a black child, she says.
by Scott Simon

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