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.

Jo Nesbo gives 'Macbeth' a gritty, action-packed update
The latest installment of the Hogarth Shakespeare series sees crime novelist Nesbo taking on the Scottish Play in an adaptation that comes alive the farther he strays from Shakespeare's original.
Derek Smalls, bass player for Spinal tap, has released a solo album called "Smalls Change (Meditations Upon Ageing)." Smalls is the character played by Harry Shearer in the now legendary 1984 mockumentary "This is "Spinal Tap."
'Circe' gives the witch of 'The Odyssey' a new life
Madeleine Miller's lush, gold-lit new novel is told from the perspective of Circe, the sorceress whose brief appearance in "The Odyssey" becomes just one moment in a longer, more complex life.
X Games to remain in Minneapolis through 2020
ESPN and Minneapolis officials announced a two-year extension agreement Tuesday to keep the extreme-sport event at U.S. Bank Stadium.
A true story about schizophrenia
Writer Sandra Allen received a fat manila envelope in the mail one day, filled with a stack of yellowed paper about a half inch thick. Allen had always heard about "crazy" Uncle Bob, but the manuscript they read that day opened up a window into the complex mind of someone living with mental illness.
"Johnny Cash: Forever Words," which was produced by Johnny Cash's son features an interesting assortment of artists including the Jayhawks, Elvis Costello, Allsion Kraus, Brad Paisley and Roseanne Cash.
In 'Varina,' a Confederate contemplates her complicity
Charles Frazier was done writing about the Civil War after his award-winning novel "Cold Mountain." Then he discovered the true story of the first lady of the Confederacy.