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.

July 26, 2016 1:01 PM

Collards and canoodling: How Helen Gurley Brown promoted premarital cooking

The legendary Cosmo editor and subject of two new biographies, knew sex sells -- and food brings in ad money. She cannily combined them with features like "After Bed, What? (a light snack for an encore)."

by Nina Martyris

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July 26, 2016 8:56 AM

'Sunlight Pilgrims' imagines the world at 50 below

Jenni Fagan's latest follows a transgender girl and her mother in a near-future world that's slowly freezing to death. Fagan makes potent but subtle links between climate change and personal change.

by Jason Heller

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July 26, 2016 4:00 AM

Minnesota author's guide to a bee-friendly backyard

With Minnesota beekeepers reporting they lost half of their bee colonies last year, some people are looking for ways to help pollinators thrive. A new book offers advice for urban gardeners.

by Euan Kerr

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July 25, 2016 2:39 PM

No, seriously, read 'The Girls'

The much-hyped summer book by debut novelist Emma Cline is a deep psychological dive into the head of a teenage girl caught up in a Manson family-like cult.

by Kerri Miller

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July 25, 2016 2:19 PM

The beautiful sounds of Cuba

Meet two brothers who travel around the world and the souvenirs they gather: what they carry back, is sound.

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July 25, 2016 2:18 PM

This mall bought a bookstore to keep it open

The Village Bookstore has been a draw at a Grand Rapids, Minn., mall for more than three decades. The mall intends to keep it that way.

by Tracy Mumford

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July 25, 2016 10:21 AM

'Ghost' soprano Marni Nixon, who voiced blockbuster musicals, dies at 86

You might not know Marni Nixon's name, but you've probably heard her. Nixon dubbed the voices for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, Natalie Wood in West Side Story and Deborah Kerr in The King and I.

by Jeff Lunden

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July 25, 2016 9:26 AM

In Dave Eggers' latest, a mother moves her kids to the Alaskan 'Frontier'

Alaska's a state that's "not too precious about itself," Eggers says. In "Heroes of the Frontier," he follows an out-of-work dentist as she moves her small family to an unfamiliar home.

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July 25, 2016 8:25 AM

At 75, Wonder Woman lassos in a new generation with an ageless fight

As the launch of the upcoming film coincides with the heroine's Comic-Con fandom, Wonder Woman appears to be hooking new fans for the same reasons she was birthed in 1941: justice, peace and feminism.

by Petra Mayer

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July 24, 2016 12:00 AM

What if you hadn't gotten married? 'Dark Matter' imagines an alternate life

Blake Crouch's new science fiction novel tells the story of Jason Dessen, a father and physics professor who suddenly finds himself in a parallel universe -- in which he's unmarried and famous.

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