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.

'Once and Forever' turns familiar fairy-tale ideas upside down
Kenji Miyazawa is a beloved author in Japan; this book -- a reissue of a 1993 story collection -- balances chaos and kindness, natural and supernatural to build a world in which anything might happen.
Deborah Blum's book, 'The Poison Squad,' tells how Harvey Washington Wiley and his band of chemists crusaded to remove toxins, such as arsenic and borax, from food. How? By testing them on volunteers.
'Infidel' uses the supernatural to explore racism's real life horrors
The new comic series from creators Pornsak Pichetshote and Aaron Campbell follows a young Muslim-American woman living in an apartment building haunted by evil entities that feed on racist hate.
'Beautiful Things' is a string of little apocalypses
Almost every story in Simon Van Booy's bitter, tonic new collection is about the end of the world -- or if not the world, then a world, whether it's a failing relationship or a dying family member.
Banksy artwork self-destructs just after $1.4 million sale
Art prankster Banksy has struck again. A work by the elusive street artist self-destructed in front of startled auction-goers on Friday, moments after being sold for $1.4 million.
Globetrotting giant red ball lands in Fargo-Moorhead
A traveling giant red ball landed in Moorhead Friday. It will cross into Fargo, N.D., on Saturday and hang out in the region until Wednesday as part of a global street art project. Here's where to find it.
Graphic novelist's latest book tackles the cruelty of youth
"Home After Dark" is the story of Russell, a youngster who becomes isolated after his parents split and he moves to a rural community in northern California.
Meet the 2018 MacArthur Foundation 'genius' grant winners
From engineering to economics, from painting to planetary science, the range of this year's class is vast. But the MacArthur Foundation expects them all to do big things with their newfound $625,000.
Meredith Monk lifts up the emotional power of voice
In performance at the Walker, the singer-dancer-composer will explore the 'mystery and beauty' of the original primal instrument.