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.

Cube Critics: Stay up to date with our weekly art and culture chats with MPR News’ Jacob Aloi, Alex V. Cipolle, Max Sparber, Aron Woldeslassie and guests. Listen to or read Cube Critics here

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.

Wild words: New book features creative writing on animal conservation
A new book turns scientific studies into poetry and prose about the needs of animals and includes work by four Minnesota authors, including Claire Wahmanholm and Christopher Kondrich.
Last Chance exhibit: A reckoning on water at the Minnesota Marine Art Museum
The Minnesota Marine Art Museum’s “A Nation Takes Place” reexamines marine art by highlighting the overlooked histories of Indigenous and Black peoples. Plus an exhibit curated by Ojibwe poet Heid E. Erdrich and one featuring photographer Shelly Mosman.
Roberta Flack, singer of 'Killing Me Softly,' has died at age 88
The Grammy Award-winning artist and educator had shared an ALS diagnosis in 2022. She was best known for ballads such as "Killing Me Softly With His Song" and "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face."
The puppets take Minnesota: A new exhibition features the art of puppetry from around the state
The Anderson Center at Tower View’s exhibition “Puppetry! In Minnesota!!” showcases the state’s diverse puppetry scene from the 1970s to today, featuring works from traditional to experimental styles.
First known cookbook by a Black American woman gets new edition 160 years later
Malinda Russell’s “A Domestic Cookbook” was first published in 1866. It contains least a hundred recipes for sweets, plus recipes for shampoo and cologne — and remedies for toothaches.
Lindsay Chervinsky’s new book ‘Making the Presidency’ teaches us about the past and present
Historian Lindsay Chervinsky’s new book, “Making the Presidency,” is a profile of John Adams. But it’s also an instructive examination of how the presidency has evolved to become what it is today.