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.

An aging Philip Marlowe returns in 'Only to Sleep'
Lawrence Osborne's new Marlowe novel brings us a version of the gumshoe in his 70s, lonely and slow, looking into another mysterious death. It's a book that seems simple, but hides cavernous depths.
Appetites: Tomatoes and garlic to look for at the farmers market
Appetites regular, and author of "Minnesota's Bounty: The Farmers Market Cookbook," Beth Dooley joined Tom Crann to discuss her favorite things to pick up at your local farmers market.
Ruth and Madisen Ward, a mother-son duo from Missouri, who go by the name "Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear," have a new record.
Parker Posey writes her own myth in 'You're on an Airplane'
This "self-mythologizing memoir," which Parker Posey pronounces "me-moir," is written as if it's a monologue to an airplane seatmate, full of collages, cocktail recipes and stories from her life and career.
'Live from Here' lets three longtime employees go
The departing staff members were associated with Garrison Keillor's old program, 'A Prairie Home Companion.'
The motion picture "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," starring the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton, was released 40 years ago Tuesday.
'Hits and Misses' doesn't miss a beat
Simon Rich's new collection welcomes readers to his sweet but twisted world, with laugh-out-loud stories about everything from a competitively ascetic monk to a baby writer born in tweed and glasses.
What it's like to be held hostage by Somali pirates for 2 1/2 years
Journalist Michael Scott Moore went to East Africa to write about piracy. Then he got kidnapped and imprisoned for 977 days. The "Desert and the Sea" chronicles his incredible ordeal.