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.

Condoleezza Rice: Institutions aren't perfect, but they're the bedrock of democracy
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tells NPR that America is still a 'bright, shining city on the hill, not because we're perfect but because we struggle in our imperfections every day.'
Her violin stolen, a prodigy's world became 'Unstrung'
Min Kym had found her perfect partner in a 1696 Stradivarius -- until it was snatched in a London cafe. She comes to terms with the loss in her new memoir, 'Gone: A Girl, A Violin, A Life Unstrung.'
An old soldier is back in action in 'City of Miracles'
As Robert Jackson Bennett's Divine Cities series draws to a close, grizzled old enforcer Sigrud --- in hiding, in a remote forest -- returns to the city to avenge the murder of his friend and partner.
Paula Poundstone's 'Totally Unscientific' search for the secret of happiness
Paula Poundstone had a great idea: Try fun stuff and get a publishing company to pay for it in the name of science. The result? 'The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness.'
Crayola gives the people what they want: a new blue crayon
After Crayola announced it was retiring the yellow crayon Dandelion, the company said its replacement would be blue, but would it be a true blue? No, it's actually an accidental blue.
A novel that asks: How do we forgive the ones we love?
Bookseller Josie Danz recommends a sweeping family saga that spans nearly the entire 20th century, following four generations through colonial rule, war and dislocation.
'The Boy on the Bridge': This zombie story isn't dead yet
M.R. Carey follows up his zombie apocalypse thriller 'The Girl With All The Gifts' with a standalone story set in the same world, also featuring an unusual child and a crew of determined scientists.