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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.

Be more than a bookstore: A brick-and-mortar shop's key to success

Be more than a bookstore: A brick-and-mortar shop's key to success

Barnes & Noble is experimenting with food, Amazon is replicating its online business and an indie shop aims to be part of the community. Ultimately, they all want to sell more books.
by Lynn Neary

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Listen: Documenting the Ferguson protests

"Whose Streets" by Sabaah Folyan is an "unflinching look at the Ferguson uprising."
by Euan Kerr

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Prince gets his own purple

Prince gets his own purple

Handlers for the estate of Prince have struck their newest deal.
by Andrew Flanagan

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In children's storybooks, realism has advantages

In children's storybooks, realism has advantages

Young children have an easier time exporting what they learn from a fictional storybook to the real world when the storybook is realistic, says psychologist Tania Lombrozo.
by Tania Lombrozo

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For Cameroonian writer, job loss led to the American Dream

For Cameroonian writer, job loss led to the American Dream

The author of "Behold the Dreamers" says she didn't intend for the novel to be about immigration.
by Euan Kerr

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'Blueberry Hill' influenced the Doors' hit 'Light My Fire'

Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek told author Marc Myers that the band didn't use a bass player when they recorded the song. He played the bass part on a Fender keyboard with his left hand and the lead part with his right hand on a Vox organ.
by MPR News Staff

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'Ghost of the Innocent Man' chronicles justice too long delayed

'Ghost of the Innocent Man' chronicles justice too long delayed

Benjamin Rachlin's crisply-written new book tells the story of Willie Grimes, who spent 24 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit -- and the tortuous legal struggle that eventually freed him.
by Martha Anne Toll

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Success in placing shelter dogs takes more than temperament tests

Success in placing shelter dogs takes more than temperament tests

Blogger Alva Noe talks with a dog trainer who says the need to give shelters, handlers and adopters the resources required to keep dogs and people supported and safe is critical in the process.
by Alva Noë

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