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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.

The lasting legacy of Bob Ross and his colorful world of 'happy accidents'

The lasting legacy of Bob Ross and his colorful world of 'happy accidents'

The bushy-haired former Air Force sergeant with the soothing voice rose to fame in the 1980s and '90s with his PBS show The Joy of Painting. Bob Ross died in 1995, but his popularity endures.
by Kat Lonsdorf

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'Ninth House' keeps watch over bloody mysteries

'Ninth House' keeps watch over bloody mysteries

Leigh Bardugo's new stand-alone thriller is set at a dark, twisty alternate version of Yale, where the famed secret societies practice world-manipulating magic — with sometimes deadly results.
by Jason Sheehan

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Ginger Baker, Cream drummer and force of nature, dies at 80

Ginger Baker, Cream drummer and force of nature, dies at 80

The 1960s rock icon, who was also an accomplished jazz musician and performed in Blind Faith and with Fela Kuti, died Sunday morning at age 80.
by Tom Moon

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Before he animated for Disney, he sketched cartoons in an internment camp

Before he animated for Disney, he sketched cartoons in an internment camp

As a child, Willie Ito spent nearly three years in a Japanese American internment camp. At StoryCorps, he tells his son how he went from doodling on Sears catalogs to animating for Walt Disney.
by Emma Bowman and Mia Warren

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There are wolves beyond these 'Thirteen Doorways' — but also a whole world

There are wolves beyond these 'Thirteen Doorways' — but also a whole world

Laura Ruby's new young adult novel, set just during the Depression, follows a young girl and her sister who are trying to survive a stark orphanage — and attracting the attention of its local ghost.
by Caitlyn Paxson

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Mankato author draws on childhood experience to write YA novel on cults

Mankato author draws on childhood experience to write YA novel on cults

Megan Cooley Peterson says an experience with her family when she was a teenager spurred her interest in cults, and led to her writing her first young adult novel "The Liar's Daughter."
by Euan Kerr

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The story behind the upcoming reissue of Prince’s landmark ‘1999’ album

The story behind the upcoming reissue of Prince’s landmark ‘1999’ album

This fall, Prince’s long-anticipated memoir “The Beautiful Ones” and an extended version of his landmark album, “1999,” will be released. The Current’s Andrea Swensson talks about what hidden gems listeners and readers might find in these releases.
by Andrea Swensson, Angela Davis and Karen Zamora

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Cube Critics take on 'Joker' and 'First Love'

Two dark and bloody films this week: one with a title suggesting humor, and another promising love. Titles, like appearances, can be deceiving as Cube Critics Stephanie Curtis and Euan Kerr discuss.
by Euan Kerr and Stephanie Curtis

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In 'The Man Who Played with Fire,' Stieg Larsson is brought to life again

In 'The Man Who Played with Fire,' Stieg Larsson is brought to life again

The author of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo had long been investigating the death of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. Journalist Jan Stocklassa convincingly and humbly picks up where he left off.
by Ilana Masad

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