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.

Curtain set to go up on a host-less but drama-filled Oscars
A winter of discontent for the Academy Awards will culminate Sunday in an Oscar ceremony that may lack a host but isn't missing intrigue.
She designed Wakanda - and might win an Oscar for it
Hannah Beachler is the first African-American to be nominated for an Academy Award for production design. Her work creating the cinematic world of Black Panther earned her the nod.
R. Kelly ordered jailed on $1M bond at Chicago hearing
A judge on Saturday gave R. Kelly a chance to go free while the R&B star awaits trial on charges that he sexually abused four people, including three minors, in a case that seemed likely to produce another #MeToo reckoning for a celebrity.
Breakdancing in the Olympics? Paris 2024 organizers say, 'oui!'
Discussing "le breakdance" this week, Paris organizers said it speaks to young people -- and that the sport's dance battles will be a hit in the 2024 Summer Games.
Architecture critic's latest is as much a love letter as it is a cautionary tale
Architectural critic and historian Larry Millett begins his new book on the Metropolitan Building at the end, with the words a janitor spoke to a Tribune reporter a day before the landmark fell in 1962.
What Shakespeare teaches us about tyrants
Chris Upton offers an interesting spin on politics with his recommendation of 'Tyrant' by Stephen Greenblatt.
Peter Tork, Monkees' lovable bass-guitar player, dead at 77
Peter Tork, who studied at Carleton College in Northfield and later rose to teen-idol fame in 1966 playing the lovably clueless bass guitarist in the made-for-television rock band The Monkees, has died. He was 77.
Dominick Argento, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, dead at 91
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Dominick Argento died Wednesday. He was 91. Known for his eclectic range of work, he composed operas such as "Casanova's Homecoming", "The Dream of Valentino" and "Miss Havisham's Fire."