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.

Lebanese photographer made 'Lebanon, USA' his mission
Fadi BouKaram set out to visit every American town named Lebanon -- all 47 of them. His photos are on display at St. Mary's University in Winona, Minn., through Oct. 26.
'Florida,' 'Heartland' among National Book Awards finalists
'This year, instead of just celebrating the best American literature, we're celebrating the best literature in America,' said Lisa Lucas, executive director of the National Book Foundation.
Light and dark, characters shine in 'Blanca & Roja'
Anna-Marie McLemore braids old bits of myth about swans and cursed sisters into a new, more inward-looking story that lets readers see just how hard it is to be a character in a fairy tale.
'The Reckonings' examines what it means to have justice
Writing about topics as diverse as race, sexual assault, Hurricane Harvey, and art history, Lacy M. Johnson's essays are together a philosophy in disguise -- equal parts memoir, criticism and ethics.
When the album was released he wrote: "Our perceptions of who we are as human beings, because of technology and machines, are falling apart. We're living at a breaking point, and a lot of the themes on the album are talking about these fault lines."
'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.
'Presidents of War' sounds the alarm about presidential power
In his new book, Michael Beschloss focuses on the lead up to war. But a more pressing danger and indictment of presidential power may be the interventions not authorized by Congress.
'Beyond beautiful': Native Americans celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day
A reclaiming of a holiday once dedicated to Christopher Columbus, some recalled how as children, their parents offered a narrative of Columbus that was far different from what they learned in school.