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.

Out to Lunch: Activist T Williams shares lessons from an ‘oversized’ table
We have all been witnesses to moments in history. But there are people in every community who go a step further by working to shape what happens next. MPR News host Nina Moini recently met up with longtime activist T Williams at Soul Bowl.
How a band captured Winona’s natural beauty
What began as a musician falling in love with Winona’s bluffs has become an album that captures the region’s voice itself — a melodic love story to a place.
Painting ‘transcendent beauty’ with sound, light and architecture at the Basilica
Hundreds gathered in the Basilica of St. Mary for “Luminiscence,” an immersive new light-and-sound spectacle. It is the first time the acclaimed European production has come to the U.S.
How did the Edmund Fitzgerald sink? A new book looks into the theories
“The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald” digs into the mystery of the ship’s sinking and also shares interviews with family members of the crew.
The Edmund Fitzgerald sinking: Remembering the Great Lakes shipwreck 50 years later
50 years ago, the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior, killing 29 men. MPR News guest host Dan Kraker talks with a Great Lakes historian about the ship’s final, fateful voyage and what the ore carrier’s shocking sinking means to Minnesotans. 
In Fargo, a long-overdue spotlight on women artists across 400 years
An exhibition at the Plains Art Museum brings together 400 years of women’s artwork, highlighting both celebrated and overlooked creators while confronting how the art world has historically excluded them.
From Budweiser to kimchi, a new book tells the stories behind immigrant and community recipes
A new cookbook honors the overlooked home chefs who nourish their communities, including a south Minneapolis artist carrying on their grandfather’s immigrant legacy by grilling his beloved “Drunk Chicken” and reflecting on heritage, activism and belonging.