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.

4 questions for the State Fair's grandstand guru
Renee Alexander's job is to book the must-see acts for the State Fair. She's pretty good at it. She tells MPR News of her best get, and the Big One that got away.
Coldplay pays tribute to Houston flooding victims
The group, on tour now in the U.S., was scheduled to play in Houston last Friday but canceled because of Hurricane Harvey.
The Minnesota State Fair in sketches
Every year, a group of artists gather at the Minnesota State Fair to sketch the crowds, the cows and the Pronto Pups. See their artistic take on the fair madness.
Poet, performer J. Otis Powell dies at 61
Those who knew him say he was a master of his literary tradition.
'My Absolute Darling' is hard to read, harder to put down
Gabriel Tallent's devastating debut novel about a young girl and her abusive but charismatic father has memorable characters, the pacing of a thriller, and still manages to work in some light moments.
Kevin Morby had been searching -- in the cold -- for St. John The Divine in Manhattan. When he finally found it, he walked inside and saw a choir singing. "After having been lost for so long and being greeted like this, it was just a magical moment," he said.
I saved every letter you wrote me: The Library of Congress digitizes Hamilton
For fans of Hamilton and history alike, the Library of Congress has put the hippest founding father online by digitizing Alexander Hamilton's papers and making them available on the Library's website
Author Don Winslow writes about police officers who walk the line between "rough justice and tempered mercy."
The band, made up of members of the Minnesota National Guard, has been around since 1900.