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.

Rich, colorful 'Afar' reimagines the magical girl
Leila del Duca and Kit Seaton's new novel follows a young girl in a richly-imagined North Africa-flavored fantasy world, who discovers she has the power to dream herself into different bodies.
The 'enemies among us' in World War I Minnesota
An historian explores the social context for World War I, a time when Minnesotans cast a suspicious eye on immigrants who might be disloyal. It's a story of fear, and a story of "us versus them," from a hundred years ago.
Hall and Oates' 'Rich Girl' was inspired by a rich man
The song is based on stories Daryl Hall heard about Victor Walker, whose father owned a chain of fast food restaurants in Chicago.
Wild Rumpus named best bookstore of the year
The Minneapolis children's bookstore is stocked with more than 34,000 titles, as well as a chicken, three cats, one ferret, two doves, two chinchillas... The list goes on.
'Hemingway didn't say that' (and neither did Twain or Kafka)
There are tons of quotes from famous people out there -- and a lot of them are just plain wrong. Author Garson O'Toole has dedicated himself to setting the record straight.
The Thread Hour: Authors Molly Brodak and Paul Auster
MPR's Kerri Miller interviews author Molly Brodak about her memoir, "Bandit: A Daughter's Memoir" and MPR's Euan Kerr interviews Paul Auster about his latest novel, "4 3 2 1."
'Foxlowe' is a delicious slice of darkness
Eleanor Wasserberg's debut novel is not for the faint of heart: This tale of a cultishly evil group called the Family who live in a mansion on the English moors is unrelentingly cruel and eerie.
Sweden ruled against naming baby 'Metallica' 10 years ago
Officials determined that Metallica was "inappropriate" because it's the name of a heavy metal band and is too closely related to the word "metal." After an international outcry, Swedish officials reversed their decision two weeks later.
Mayte Garcia knew she would marry Prince, but could never have predicted how
In her new book, "The Most Beautiful: My Life with Prince," Garcia explains how an unlikely meeting at one of the pop icon's concerts sparked a relationship full of love, surprises and, ultimately, heartbreak.