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.

June 3, 2017 12:00 AM

In 'Beyond Respectability,' a history of black women as public intellectuals

Brittney C. Cooper's history of black women thinkers traces decades of struggle against racism and misogyny. It's a crucial cultural study and a dense, serious read that rewards close attention.

by Genevieve Valentine

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June 2, 2017 5:39 PM

Speeches, a ceremony and 'Scaffold' starts to come down

The sculpture, meant as a commentary on capital punishment, had provoked objections from the Dakota community for its reference to a mass execution in 1862.

by Euan Kerr

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June 2, 2017 10:54 AM

Animal cafes are cool, but does a raccoon cafe go too far?

In NPR's Elise Tries series, correspondent Elise Hu tests out new experiences in East Asia. In this inaugural episode, she visits a South Korean animal cafe. Things don't go as smoothly as planned.

by Elise Hu

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June 2, 2017 8:42 AM

Using music and rhythm to help kids with grammar and language

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are studying how music and rhythm activities could help children who struggle with grammar and language development.

by Robert Siegel and Andrea Hsu

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June 2, 2017 8:27 AM

Booker expresses fear over racism in the song 'Witness'

Benjamin Booker's new album is out Friday.

by MPR News Staff

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June 2, 2017 12:00 AM

Mankato professor: 'Scaffold' inspires shock, anger and hope

Gwen Westerman, a professor at Minnesota State University, Mankato, discusses "Scaffold" and why its arrival in Minnesota was met with public outcry.

by MPR News Staff

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June 1, 2017 3:08 PM

David Sedaris on the life-altering and mundane pages of his old diaries

Sedaris' "Theft by Finding" is a collection of excerpts from those diaries. In it, he revisits major turning points, like how he met his longtime boyfriend and his decision to stop drinking.

by Terry Gross