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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.

'Inland' creates a new myth of the Old West

'Inland' creates a new myth of the Old West

Téa Obreht's new novel is set against a familiar old West backdrop, but it tells a fresh story of two people, both haunted in their own ways — a tough frontier woman and an immigrant camel driver.
by Lily Meyer

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Ibram X. Kendi says no one is 'not racist.' So what should we do?

Ibram X. Kendi says no one is 'not racist.' So what should we do?

His new book 'How To Be Antiractist' is a manual to follow; the author writes that "being an antiracist requires persistent self-awareness, constant self-criticism, and regular self-examination."
by Ericka Taylor

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Fifty years after Woodstock, two Minnesotans look back

Fifty years after Woodstock, two Minnesotans look back

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of Woodstock, the huge three-day concert that came to symbolize the 1960s’ counterculture. Two now-Minnesotans who attended went on to very different lives, but have fond memories of the event, which shaped a generation.
by Euan Kerr

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Reflecting diversity of St. Paul, sidewalk poetry winners include new languages

Reflecting diversity of St. Paul, sidewalk poetry winners include new languages

This spring, Public Art St. Paul opened its sidewalk poetry competition to works in Dakota, Hmong, Somali and Spanish — and some of those poems are among the winners. The city will begin stamping the new crop of poems in concrete this month.
by Sophia Sura

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'Lithium' is a homage to a drug — and to the renegade side of science

'Lithium' is a homage to a drug — and to the renegade side of science

By celebrating those who applied the substance as a drug, Walter A. Brown aims to raise awareness — and to demolish what remains of the myth that scientific progress is driven by rigorous dispassion.
by Etelka Lehoczky

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Children's Theatre Company settles with six survivors

Children's Theatre Company settles with six survivors

The students are all survivors of sexual abuse that occurred at the theater company in the 1970s. A statement from the company did not say how much money was agreed to in the settlement.
by Marianne Combs

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In 'An American Sunrise,' Joy Harjo speaks with a timeless compassion

In 'An American Sunrise,' Joy Harjo speaks with a timeless compassion

The poet laureate's collection tells a tale of a fierce and ongoing fight for sovereignty, integrity, and basic humanity. It's a plea that Americans take responsibility for what's done in our names.
by Craig Morgan Teicher

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'The Yellow House' connects place, memory and self-knowledge

'The Yellow House' connects place, memory and self-knowledge

Sarah Broom's childhood house is the fulcrum for her memoir about her large and complex family. But perhaps more important, it stands in for the countless ways America has failed African Americans.
by Martha Anne Toll

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'Kochland' explores how the famous brother duo made their money

'Kochland' explores how the famous brother duo made their money

The Koch brothers' wide-ranging influence is no secret. But rather than focusing on how they spend their money, Christopher Leonard presents a richly reported tale of how they got it.
by Scott Horsley

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Women: Opera's Domingo abused power to sexually harass them

Women: Opera's Domingo abused power to sexually harass them

For decades, Placido Domingo, one of the most celebrated and powerful men in opera, has tried to pressure women into sexual relationships by dangling jobs and then sometimes punishing the women professionally when they refused his advances, numerous accusers told The Associated Press.
by The Associated Press

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