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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.

'Marilou is Everywhere,' and also a miracle

'Marilou is Everywhere,' and also a miracle

Sarah Elaine Smith's debut novel, about a girl from an impoverished, broken family who impersonates a missing neighbor in order to get motherly attention, is otherworldly in its beauty and power.
by Michael Schaub

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Watch Lizzo's Tiny Desk concert

Watch Lizzo's Tiny Desk concert

Backed by a band assembled just for this occasion, the breakthrough pop icon performs three joyfully showy songs from “Cuz I Love You.”
by Stephen Thompson

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Looking for stories along the Mississippi, she's found love

Looking for stories along the Mississippi, she's found love

The Relay of Voices project aims to connect river towns with each other, but those aren’t the only connections it has made.
by Britta Greene

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'Jade War' is a magical, operatic crime and family drama

'Jade War' is a magical, operatic crime and family drama

Fonda Lee's Jade War is the second volume in her sweeping yet intimate saga about two clans on a small island nation, battling for control over supplies of the magical jade that powers their fighters.
by Jason Sheehan

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A photographer's vision of the magical masks of Mexico

A photographer's vision of the magical masks of Mexico

On festivals that range from Day of the Dead to Easter, Mexicans hide their true identity behind fantastic masks that conjure up both indigenous — and European — traditions.
by Cathy Newman

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A complicated puzzle get closer to solution in 'The Dark Above'

A complicated puzzle get closer to solution in 'The Dark Above'

In Jeremy Finley's followup to The Darkest Time of Night, too many plot threads tangle the story — but his strong, well-realized women are a welcome presence in this supernatural thriller.
by Bethanne Patrick

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Colson Whitehead's new novel 'is the work of a master'

Colson Whitehead's new novel 'is the work of a master'

How does Colson Whitehead follow up his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel? — with an equally stunning story.

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These cli-fi classics are cautionary tales for today

These cli-fi classics are cautionary tales for today

As heat waves roll across Europe and storms pummel the American South, literature is responding. But climate fiction — or cli-fi — is nothing new, and we've got a roundup of some classics.
by Jason Heller

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