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.

How a Dungeons & Dragons meetup turned into mutual aid during ICE operations
A Twin Cities Dungeons & Dragons meetup that began as a way to play the game has grown into a 2,500-person community offering friendship, refuge and mutual aid as immigration enforcement ramps up in Minnesota.
From skid row to folklore: Remaking the lumberjack
Historian Willa Brown’s new book, “Gentlemen of the Woods: Manhood, Myth, and the American Lumberjack,” dismantles the familiar lumberjack myth, revealing how 19th-century loggers were once feared, erased from the record, and later reinvented as folk heroes to serve industry and regional identity.
Ojibwe village of Naytahwaush celebrates artistic legacies
An exhibition at the Watermark Art Center in Bemidji features generational stories of the Ojibwe village, Naytahwaush. The exhibition recently held a public artist and music reception, bringing people together to celebrate the many talents in the community and the inspiration behind the exhibition.
MN Shortlist, Feb. 20-26: Comedy lifers, lethal manners and borrowed time
This week’s lineup moves from Tony-winning musicals to international cinema, from Ramadan-centered poetry to a Fire Horse fanfare, anchored by artists who understand that timing isn’t just a craft concern, but a way of reading the room.
Tracy K. Smith prescribes poetry as a balm to our wounds in 'Fear Less'
Are you convinced poetry is some code you just can’t crack? In her new book, “Fear Less,” former Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith says poems are like cars: they’re meant to take you somewhere.
Two-spirit, MMIWR photo exhibit begins state tour
A traveling photo exhibit representing two-spirit and Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives opens in Mankato today at the Carnegie Art Center before heading to Minneapolis in June.
Caponi Art Park in Eagan joins National Register of Historic Places
Caponi Art Park in Eagan has been added to the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing the 60-acre landscape of large-scale sculptures created by artist and Macalester professor Anthony Caponi and securing preservation benefits for the site.