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.

‘Lovers and Comrades’: Bart Buch’s queer poetic puppet adventure at Open Eye Theatre in Minneapolis
Bart Buch’s “Ode to Walt Whitman,” now at Open Eye Theatre, is a multimedia puppet performance inspired by Whitman and Lorca’s poetry and queer identities, reimagining their dialogue through modern gay dating apps to explore love, connection and democracy in troubled times.
Art Hounds: Americana, Sondheim and Twin Cities improv
Art Hounds recommend Americana in the Historic Auditorium, Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Passion” and the Twin Cities Improv Festival
Many of White’s books chronicled his own experiences as a gay man, making an indelible impression on gay culture and how LGBTQ experiences were understood more broadly at the dawning of the AIDS health crisis.
St. Paul youth heal through art at the Boys and Girls Club
For almost a year, teens at the Al Lenzmeier Boys and Girls Club have been helping their peers with mental health struggles and community issues through art. They’re also learning to lead.
Where the wild things are: St. Paul’s Raspberry Island
A vibrant exhibition of giant, hand-crafted Mexican alebrijes now transforms St. Paul’s Raspberry Island, blending folk art tradition with community revival efforts led by the Minnesota Latino Museum.
Ask a Bookseller: ‘Come Home to My Heart’ by Riley Redgate
Michelle Tuplin of Serendipity Books in Chelsea, Mich., recommends the YA novel “Come Home to My Heart” by Riley Redgate.