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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.

Minnesota Orchestra's Osmo Vanska to step down in 2022

Minnesota Orchestra's Osmo Vanska to step down in 2022

Minnesota Orchestra music director Osmo Vanska will step down at the conclusion of his contract, in August 2022. Vanska made the announcement at the Orchestra board's annual meeting Wednesday.
by Euan Kerr

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Forecast Public Art looks back on 40 years of creativity

Forecast Public Art looks back on 40 years of creativity

In its decades of life, the organization has worked to connect artists to communities that need them.
by Marianne Combs

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Happy 86th birthday, Little Richard

He retired from active touring several years ago, after hip surgery, but his career stretches back to the very beginnings of rock and roll — as does the list of artists he influenced. (For one, a then-unknown Jimi Hendrix played the guitar on Richard's 1965 recording of "Going Home Tomorrow.")
by Cathy Wurzer

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So, you want to be Santa? Here's how to avoid rookie mistakes

So, you want to be Santa? Here's how to avoid rookie mistakes

Santa Claus is in town again, along with a corps of brother Santas helping out around Minnesota. The big guy from the North Pole needs a hand this time of year to greet all the boys and girls and hear their Christmas wishes.
by Martin Moylan

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Ed Hamell performs tonight in Minneapolis

Hamell (who goes by Hamell on Trial onstage) is known for songs with titles like "Dance Til the Sobbing Stops" and "How I Wanna Die" — with lyrics to match.
by Cathy Wurzer

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Michelle Obama's take on 'lean in'? 'That &#%! doesn't work'

Michelle Obama's take on 'lean in'? 'That &#%! doesn't work'

Obama told a Brooklyn audience that the notion of "having it all" is "a lie." Many were delighted by the former first lady's spontaneous candor.

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In love with teen lit: Remembering the 'Paperback Crush' of the '80s and '90s

In love with teen lit: Remembering the 'Paperback Crush' of the '80s and '90s

As a preteen Gabrielle Moss devoured books in "The Baby-Sitters Club" and "Sweet Valley High" series. She recently reread them for "nostalgic stress relief" and ended up writing a book on the genre.
by Ailsa Chang

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New biography chronicles Bing Crosby's most beloved years

New biography chronicles Bing Crosby's most beloved years

Crosby set the mold for the multimedia star: on radio, on the big screen and on record. The 1940s was the period when his star shone brightest and 'Swinging on a Star' by Gary Giddins tells that story.
by Tom Vitale

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'Babel' looks at language through the 20 most-widely spoken

'Babel' looks at language through the 20 most-widely spoken

Linguist Gaston Dorren's book is endlessly interesting -- and you don't have to have any linguistic training to enjoy it: He has a talent for clearly explaining even the most difficult concepts.
by Michael Schaub

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Extreme ideologies clash in 'North of Dawn'

Extreme ideologies clash in 'North of Dawn'

Author Nuruddin Farah writes about immigration and radicalization in his latest novel 'North of Dawn,' which follows a Somali living in exile in Norway whose son chooses a dangerously extreme path.
by Steve Inskeep

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