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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.

Bemidji novelist Dennis E. Staples aims to make the North Woods scary with new book

Bemidji novelist Dennis E. Staples aims to make the North Woods scary with new book

Red Lake Band member Dennis E. Staples won national acclaim for his first book “This Town Sleeps.” Now he’s back with a second novel “Passing Through A Prairie Country.” It’s a tale that mixes horror and dark fantasy with Ojibwe culture.
by Mathew Holding Eagle III

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In NW Minnesota, he turns gears, wire and marbles into art that moves

In NW Minnesota, he turns gears, wire and marbles into art that moves

Jeffrey Zachmann’s built more than 1,000 kinetic sculptures — moving contraptions that fascinate those who come across them in public libraries, private collections and museums around the world. He loves the interaction with people who can't resist his work.
by Dan Gunderson

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Ask a Bookseller: ‘We Will Be Jaguars’ by Nemonte Nenquimo 

Ask a Bookseller: ‘We Will Be Jaguars’ by Nemonte Nenquimo 

Laynee Wessel with Bliss Books & Bindery in Stillwater, Okla., recommends “We Will be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People” by Nemonte Nenquimo and Mitch Anderson. 
by Emily Bright

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Smoke and memory: A Civil War painting endures in Minnesota’s Capitol

Smoke and memory: A Civil War painting endures in Minnesota’s Capitol

At the Minnesota State Capitol, Howard Pyle’s Civil War painting “The Battle of Nashville” stands as a vivid tribute to Minnesota soldiers, preserved through time and restoration as a centerpiece of historical memory and evolving interpretation.
by Anika Besst

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Black dance festival highlights improvisation as performance, not process

Black dance festival highlights improvisation as performance, not process

The Black Dance Improvisation Festival in Minneapolis invites artists and audiences to see improvisation not just as a tool, but as a complete performance form rooted in Black cultural traditions.
by Jacob Aloi

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Two Ojibwe artists practice culture and tradition with birchbark 

Two Ojibwe artists practice culture and tradition with birchbark 

Working with birchbark has been a long tradition for tribes in the Midwest, however, there are concerns that it has become a rarity. For two Ojibwe artists, they share the significance of what birchbark means to them and their art.   
by Chandra Colvin

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New books this week: Yoko, Elphaba and lost connections

New books this week: Yoko, Elphaba and lost connections

This week’s new releases include a biography of Yoko Ono, new fiction from Column McCann and the latest “Wicked” book “Elphie.”
by Colin Dwyer

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