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 'Solo,' chef Anita Lo celebrates the art of cooking for one
Meals for one should not be a sad or boring affair, says Michelin-starred chef Anita Lo. In her new cookbook, Lo goes beyond bitter greens, blue cheese and monkfish to serve up fun meals for one.
Counting the bugs and bacteria, you're 'Never Home Alone' (and that's OK)
Ecologist Rob Dunn's new book describes the tiny life forms, helpful and risky, that live in different parts of the home, including on floors and in water faucets, basements and heating systems.
A Marvel of a man: Stan Lee dead at 95
Lee gave us over six decades' worth of superheroes we could identify with, characters like Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk, who reacted to super-powered crises in believably flawed, human ways.
Sourdough hands: How bakers and bread are a microbial match
In Robert Dunn's new book, Never Home Alone, he explores our symbiotic relationship with food: Not only do we impact the bacteria in our food, but the microbes in our food imprint our bodies.
R.I.P. HAL: Douglas Rain, voice of computer in '2001,' dies at 90
Rain was best known for the eerie, sonorous voice he lent to HAL 9000 in the 1968 Stanley Kubrick film. However, he was also celebrated for his decades of performances on the Shakespearean stage.
A literary con man climbs to success in 'Ladder to the Sky'
A charismatic young writer poaches plot points from the lives of established authors in John Boyne's new novel. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls it 'erudite and ingeniously constructed.'
Ephemeral beach art display honors fallen World War I soldiers
Portraits of soldiers who perished during World War I were drawn on a number of British beaches Sunday — and then, as planned, washed into the sea by rising tidewater.
Gallery: Veterans healing through mask-making art therapy
The Fargo Veteran Affairs Health Care System offers artistic mask making as part of an art therapy program. We asked veterans to reveal the meaning behind their art.