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.

Sir Mix-a-Lot on 25 years of 'Baby Got Back'
"It was like a blown-out, glorified version of what was actually being said at that time," the rapper says of the butt-positive single that inspired controversy, parody and some genuine gratitude.
When Frank and Nancy Sinatra topped the charts
"Somethin' Stupid" was the first and only duet by a father and daughter to top the charts.
'Pantsuit Nation' serves up nostalgia, uplift, heartbreak. But why?
For Hillary Clinton's staunchest supporters, reading "Pantsuit Nation" may be like reading an ex's love letters just after a breakup: a flood of memories, a little too soon, and with no clear purpose.
Punk rocker of bonsai world at work in northern Minnesota
Brainerd Bonsai artist David Crust shocked the bonsai world and won international acclaim for a tree he grew in a vacuum cleaner.
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.