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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.

Elie Wiesel was a teacher above all else, says book author

Elie Wiesel was a teacher above all else, says book author

Most of the world knows Elie Wiesel as a Holocaust survivor, a human rights activist, a confidant of presidents and prime ministers, and a Nobel Peace Prize winner. But Wiesel always saw himself as a teacher, says Wiesel's former teaching assistant who penned a new book based on those teachings.
by Heather McElhatton

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The story of 'Eight Days of Hanukkah,' a song written by Utah Senator Orrin Hatch

Hatch is a prolific songwriter, but his canon tends towards love ballads and Christian music. Nearly two decades ago, he was interviewed by Jeffrey Goldberg — now the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic — and Goldberg asked Hatch whether he'd ever tried his hand at a Hanukkah song.
by Cathy Wurzer

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The writings of George H.W. Bush

George H.W. Bush never wrote a memoir but letters and speeches give a glimpse into what could have been a riveting book. Carlos Lozada, the Washington Post's nonfiction book critic, wrote a piece about what could have been in Bush's memoir.
by Kerri Miller and Marcheta Fornoff

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NPR's 'Hanukkah Lights' and APM's 'Candles Burning Brightly'

NPR's 'Hanukkah Lights' and APM's 'Candles Burning Brightly'

Two Hanukkah specials: NPR's "Hanukkah Lights" and APM's "Candles Burning Brightly."

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'Well-Read Black Girl' turns books into community

'Well-Read Black Girl' turns books into community

With her new anthology, Glory Edim says she wants to "capture the energy and vibrancy of what it means to be a black woman in the literary space."
by Andrea Y. Henderson

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Ensemble 'gives a voice' to Nazi death camp prisoners through unearthed music

Ensemble 'gives a voice' to Nazi death camp prisoners through unearthed music

While conducting research at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, a music theory professor discovered manuscripts of music that haven't been heard since World War II.
by Lulu Garcia-Navarro and Sarah Handel

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Jeeves and Wooster, but make it a modern spy novel

Jeeves and Wooster, but make it a modern spy novel

Ben Shott has taken the iconic P.G. Wodehouse comic characters (with the blessing of the Wodehouse estate) and twisted 'five degrees to starboard' in his new novel 'Jeeves and the King of Clubs.'
by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

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Freddy Cole brings Christmas to Crooners Lounge this weekend

The 87-year-old singer and jazz pianist is the younger brother of the late Nat King Cole. His shows on Saturday and Sunday at Crooners are part of the venue's year-long tribute to his older brother, who would turn 100 this coming March.
by Cathy Wurzer

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