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.

When Polydor Records released Gloria Gaynor's single "Substitute," the song didn't make much of an impression. Then, club DJs flipped the single over to the B-side and discovered "I Will Survive."
Jerome Foundation awards $3.2 million to artists
The Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship program is a two-year grant aimed at artists who have established their practice, but have yet to get wide recognition for their work. Most of the artists identify as people of color or indigenous.
A parable of international development from Dave Eggers
In a slim novel, two mismatched men are sent to a war-torn country to pave a highway in 12 days. 'But ultimately,' the author says, 'it's not really about either one of these guys.'
Dick Dale, 'King of Surf Guitar,' dies at 81
Dick Dale, whose pounding, blaringly loud power-chord instrumentals on songs like "Miserlou" and "Let's Go Trippin'" earned him the title "King of the Surf Guitar," has died at age 81.
Nat King Cole remains 'one of the great gifts of nature'
Born 100 years ago today, Nat King Cole topped the charts year after year, sold more than 50 million records, pushed jazz piano in a new direction and paved the way for later generations of performers.
Building a home of stories in 'The Bird King'
G. Willow Wilson's luminous new novel is set during the last days of Muslim Granada, and follows a royal concubine and her mapmaker friend as they flee the Inquisition for a place that may not exist.
Twin Cities poet Ed Bok Lee reads from new collection of work
Twin Cities poet Ed Bok Lee will read from his new collection of poetry, "Mitochondrial Night," on Saturday night in Minneapolis.
'Night Witches' sheds some light on daring female flyers
Garth Ennis' new graphic novel creates a fictional character to flesh out the stories of the real Night Witches, Soviet female pilots who dropped bombs on the Nazis from rickety old biplanes.