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.

‘Build on it’: A new exhibition at the U looks at the legacy of women architects in Minnesota
A new exhibit at the University of Minnesota highlights the overlooked contributions of women architects in Minnesota from the 1920s to today, featuring drawings, models and stories that reveal both their creative achievements and the systemic barriers they faced.
Trans dinosaur musical creates a space for ‘Queer Joy’
“Triassic Parq” is a parody musical that reimagines “Jurassic Park” from the dinosaurs’ perspective, using the plot point of gender transition among dinosaurs to explore themes of identity, transformation, and the trans experience — all through campy humor and song.
This author witnessed South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation hearings. Years later, she wrote about it
Novelist Lauren Francis-Sharma witnessed South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation hearings as a young law intern. Now she’s written a thriller about what she saw.
‘The Buffalo Hunter Hunter’ is Stephen Graham Jones' horror masterpiece
The prose is gorgeous and the plot is complex. The author of “The Only Good Indians” returns again with a spellbinding yarn about one of the bloodiest, most significant parts of the nation's history.
To be a Palestinian-American writer right now can lead to a lot of expectation to focus on identity and devastation, but in her debut novel, “Too Soon,” Betty Shamieh shares the story of three generations of Palestinian women trying to find love, purpose and liberation.
‘We are gutted’ — Hamline’s creative writing MFA is on the chopping block
Hamline University’s creative writing MFA program faces potential closure after an unexpected announcement from interim leadership, citing declining enrollment; students and faculty are protesting the decision, calling for transparency and a delay in cuts until new university leadership arrives.
Author Margie Sarsfield’s ‘got the beet,’ and it’s really creepy
If you were going to write a horror story about something in Minnesota, what would you choose as a focus? The newly released novel “Beta Vulgaris” features potentially malevolent sugar beets. They are far from sweet.