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.

Sean Jensen wasn't thrilled with the "naughty" characters that turned up in his young son's books, so he decided to tap his sports reporting experience to write books featuring real-life role models.
P.O.S has some advice for himself in new album
The rapper says the album called "Chill, Dummy" is advice for himself after recovering from a kidney transplant in 2014.
A spacefarer's next great adventure begins at 'Home'
Nnedi Okorafor's "Binti: Home" is the second installment in her series following a young woman with grand interstellar dreams, who now must reconcile her university experiences with her home culture.
Super Bowl ads go political in a big way
Messages about America, inclusiveness — and, yes, even "four years of awful hair" — kept bubbling up in Super Bowl 51 ads from Airbnb, the NFL and a line of personal care products. But there was still plenty of escapism and light humor for those who weren't into the politics.
Minnesota artists question state grant process
One painter thinks she may have been denied a state grant because she was pregnant.
A family locks itself away after a series of murders
Bookseller Kendra Adkins recommends a novel from the underappreciated queen of haunting and horror, Shirley Jackson.
Sam Cooke had a successful six-year run with the Soul Stirrers. "Jesus Gave Me Water" was one their early hits together. But Cooke left the group in 1957 because he wanted to pursue secular, pop music and the Soul Stirrers focused on gospel. He soon rocketed to success as a solo artist with hits like "You Send Me" and "Twisting the Night Away." He was inducted into the Rock and Rock Hall of Fame posthumously in 1986.