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.

Paltrow, Jolie join flood of allegations against Weinstein
An avalanche of allegations poured out Tuesday against Harvey Weinstein in on-the-record reports that detailed claims of sexual abuse and included testimonies from Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie.
The 22-time Grammy Award winner will be joined on this tour by drummer Steve Gadd, one of most highly-regarded session drummers around.
Gordon Parks' advice to aspiring black artists in the 1980s
In a 1980 speech, artist Gordon Parks told the story of how he survived Minnesota winters as a homeless teen, and shared some important advice for fellow black writers.
In 'This Blessed Earth,' the outdated romance of the family farm
Journalist Ted Genoways spent a year on a small farm in rural Nebraska, and he says American nostalgia for the family farm overlooks the pressures farmers face and the realities of food production.
Plenty of artists avoid the issue because there's a real risk of backlash as gun lobbyists have bolstered a connection between the patriotic themes found in country music to gun ownership in recent years.
Poet Rupi Kaur: 'Art should be accessible to the masses'
Rupi Kaur came to Canada from India when she was four years old and didn't learn English well for years; she says her raw, minimalist poems are tailored for readers like her, with limited English.
In 1960s New York, witchy women learn 'The Rules of Magic'
In Alice Hoffman's prequel to "Practical Magic," two sisters uncover their family's supernatural gifts and curses while growing up in the city.
A 'hypnotic,' 'pointillistic' novel
David Enyeart recommends a new novel by British writer Jon McGregor: "He's not very well known in this country yet, but I think he certainly will be."
You're going to hate 'TheMystery.doc,' and that's OK
Matthew McIntosh's fractured and fracturing 1,600-page tale of a writer with amnesia and a missing manuscript isn't fun, and it probably isn't supposed to be. But it is magnificently weird.
Teetotaling made trendy
High-end, nonalcoholic beverages are on the rise — with growing demand from bars and restaurants to carry drinks that go beyond water and sweet sodas for those who don't drink alcohol.