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.

The feminists who built America
Many of their names are unknown, but early American feminists fought hard for the freedoms that are cornerstones to democracy. This week on Big Books and Bold Ideas, historian Elizabeth Cobbs and our new series, “Big Books, Bold Americans.”
In ‘Like Happiness,’ a woman struggles to define a past, destructive relationship
Ursula Villarreal-Moura’s debut novel movingly portrays its protagonist coming to terms with an imbalanced, difficult, and sometimes harmful friendship that was also a key part of her life for years.
A modern spin on a Korean tradition: Kimjang in south Minneapolis
The Korean tradition of kimjang, a community gathering to make large batches of the spicy fermented cabbage delicacy known as kimchi, recently took on an added Minnesota flavor. A group of strangers, bound by an interest in food, to chop, salt and spice — and maybe launch a new tradition of their own.
‘The Familiar’ is a romance, coming-of-age tale, and a story about fighting for more
In her new novel, Leigh Bardugo drags readers into a world of servitude, magic, power struggles, and intrigue — one where there isn’t a single character that doesn’t have a secret agenda.
Civil rights leader Ethel Ray Nance to be honored in Duluth and in new biography
Nance was the first Black woman to work as a stenographer at the state legislature, an executive secretary for W.E.B DuBois and one of the first Black policewomen in Minnesota. Her granddaughter tells her story in a new book.