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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.

In 'Why We Fight,' one man searches for self-knowledge through mixed martial arts

In 'Why We Fight,' one man searches for self-knowledge through mixed martial arts

Josh Rosenblatt's personal meditation on fighting and selfhood is replete with engaging literary and historical excursions -- giving the idea of fighting a dignity it might be harder to grant without.
by Nicholas Cannariato

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In home of original Sriracha sauce, Thais say Rooster brand is nothing to crow about

In home of original Sriracha sauce, Thais say Rooster brand is nothing to crow about

The Rooster brand, ubiquitous in the U.S., is now being exported to Thailand, where Sriracha was born. But many Thais who taste the U.S. version are not impressed. "I wanted to gag," says one.
by Michael Sullivan

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'Help Me!' documents a year of self-help books

'Help Me!' documents a year of self-help books

Marianne Power decided to read one self-help book a month, for a year -- and follow the advice in each, to the letter. She says it became a much more intense undertaking than she'd anticipated.
by Mary Louise Kelly

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Toto's song 'Africa' takes new form ... in an undisclosed desert location

Artist Max Siedentopf has incorporated the song into a new installation in the Namib desert, using an MP3 player connected to six speakers. He told the BBC that he "wanted to pay the song the ultimate homage and physically exhibit 'Africa' in Africa."
by Cathy Wurzer

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'Inheritance' investigates a family secret, with self-discovery at the core

'Inheritance' investigates a family secret, with self-discovery at the core

Dani Shapiro, at age 54, is shocked to learn that the man she thought was her biological father wasn't a blood relative. Her memoir, a quest for the truth, reads like an emotional detective story.
by Heller McAlpin

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'Ghost Wall' is an eerie coming-of-age tale that begs for a second read

'Ghost Wall' is an eerie coming-of-age tale that begs for a second read

Sarah Moss' beautifully written novel is set in the 1970s in the rugged countryside of the far north of England, where a group of campers are reenacting the daily lives of Iron Age Britons.
by Maureen Corrigan

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