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.

Thread Book Hour: U.S. poet laureate Tracy K. Smith
Since getting the job in 2017, Smith has been on a mission to take her poetry on the road, visiting rural areas where most writers aren't expected to go.
Spend some quality time with dad this Father's Day
Here are a few ideas on ways to share quality time with your dad on Father's Day, which is Sunday.
Appetites: Somali-Americans blend cultures and flavor
This week on Appetites, we look at a new Somali-American Cookbook "Soo Fariista: Come Sit Down" published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press.
Guitarist Peter Buck, best known for his work with the band REM, and singer-songwriter Joseph Arthur have teamed up for a musical collaboration they are calling Arthur Buck.
A.M. Homes: Short stories are 'food for the soul and for the mind'
Her first story collection in 15 years is called "Days of Awe," and it covers everything from a chat room for bird lovers, to a summit on genocide, to a superstore where someone's abandoned a baby.
Climate One: Net Zero Living
Ways to reduce trash generation and energy use at home.
'Vera Kelly' finds the connections between deep cover and the closet
The personal is most definitely political in Rosalie Knecht's crisp, lively and subversive novel about a queer woman who discovers her early life in the closet makes her well-suited for espionage.
New artistic director named for Park Square
Flordelino Lagundino will take over at the St. Paul theater this summer.