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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.

Personal demons and class differences complicate love in 'Normal People'

Personal demons and class differences complicate love in 'Normal People'

Marianne is a social pariah, Connell is a football player. Sally Rooney's nuanced, flinty love story opens in a small town in Ireland, where two teens who "get" each other get together.
by Maureen Corrigan

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Teen years echo through a lifetime in 'Trust Exercise'

Teen years echo through a lifetime in 'Trust Exercise'

Susan Choi's new novel is set at a performing arts high school in the 1980s, as students navigate the line between adolescence and adulthood, student-teacher relationships and the drama of first love.
by Heller McAlpin

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From Broadway to your bookshelf

From Broadway to your bookshelf

Bookseller Susan Smelser recommends a novel based on the critically acclaimed Broadway musical, "Dear Evan Hansen."
by Tracy Mumford

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A Beautiful World: Tips for artists in hard times

A Beautiful World: Tips for artists in hard times

Austin Kleon thought he might give up writing. Then he developed a list of steps that could keep him on track.
by Heather McElhatton

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JazzMN Orchestra celebrates 20 years

The orchestra performs Monday night at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre. The concert will be the last one led by founder and artistic director Doug Snapp.
by Cathy Wurzer

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2019 Minnesota Book Award winners announced

2019 Minnesota Book Award winners announced

Minnesota's literary community gathered Saturday night in St. Paul for the 31st annual Minnesota Book Awards.
by MPR News Staff

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'The Old Drift' takes the long view of human (and mosquito) history

'The Old Drift' takes the long view of human (and mosquito) history

Namwali Serpell's lush, sprawling new novel is a speculative history -- and future -- of Zambia, from colonialism to an ill-fated space program and the age of mass surveillance and drone warfare.
by Annalisa Quinn

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Monsters imaginary and real haunt 'The Luminous Dead'

Monsters imaginary and real haunt 'The Luminous Dead'

Caitlin Starling's tense new horror novel follows a desperate young cave diver who's lied her way into a job on a dangerous planet, and the supervisor who may not have her best interests at heart.
by Jason Sheehan

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