September 21, 2015 - MPR’s Kerri Miller interviews author Elizabeth Gilbert, who discusses the concept of creativity. Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of many books including "The Signature of All Things" and "Eat, Pray, Love," and "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear."
August 21, 2015 - The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis celebrates its 40th anniversary with an unusual event. It's called “40 for 40” and features 40 different activities across the Twin Cities over the course of 40 hours. MPR’s Arts reporter Marianne Combs discusses the event with All Thing’s Considered host Tom Crann.
August 7, 2015 - Joseph Haj says he is drinking from a fire hose. Five weeks after taking over as artistic director of the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis he's immersed in learning his new job. He says he's unlikely to make major changes anytime soon, but Euan Kerr reports Haj is building on some basic principles.
July 13, 2015 - Next this hour, more arts- but art in Minnesota schools. There's been a lot of talk in Washington about updating the education law known as No Child Left Behind, but that law focuses on math and reading. What about arts education? MPR news has been inviting people from across the state to our studios to talk about several aspects of the arts community today- arts education.
July 2, 2015 - On MPR News with Tom Weber, Tzianeng Vang shares details on The Hmong Freedom Celebration, also known as J4. The annual event at Como Park features a soccer tournament, as well as other sports, activities, traditional Hmong goods for sale, and food. This year the festival holds a little more significance because it was 40 years ago this year that the first Hmong arrived in Minnesota.
June 26, 2015 - In the coming week several major arts organizations in the Twin Cities are saying goodbye to longtime directors, notably among them the Guthrie Theater. The end of June marks the end of the fiscal year for many organizations, making it a convenient time for leadership to change hands. But rarely have we seen such a confluence of major transitions.
April 23, 2015 - On MPR News with Tom Weber, Kao Choua Vue previews Quia Dab Neeg Film Festival, held at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul. The sixth-annual Hmong film festival showcases films produced by Hmong artists from Minnesota, around the country, and from Laos.
April 17, 2015 - MPR’s Marianne Combs reports on Internationally acclaimed author Louise Erdrich’s first-ever show of visual art, titled "Asynchronous Reading." Combs interviews Erdrich about items in the exhibit.
February 27, 2015 - This week, a roundtable discussion on what it's like to be a first generation American.
February 17, 2015 - The Guthrie Theater announced today it has selected Joseph Haj as its new artistic director. Haj takes over from Joe Dowling who retires in June after 20 years with the Guthrie. Haj is returning to the theater after working there as an actor early in his career.