Art Hounds Podcast By Minnesota Public Radio cover art

Art Hounds

Art Hounds

By: Minnesota Public Radio
Listen for free

Each week three people from the Minnesota arts community talk about a performance, opening, or event they're excited to see or want others to check out.Copyright 2026 Minnesota Public Radio Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • Art Hounds: A Karen epic returns, abstract art finds sound, flamenco marks a turning point

    Art Hounds: A Karen epic returns, abstract art finds sound, flamenco marks a turning point
    Apr 16 2026
    From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above.Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.A classic story returns to the stageJuanita Vang is co-executive director at the Southeast Asian Diaspora (SEAD) Project in Minneapolis. She performed in the original production of Ehkhudah Zar’s play “Muyehpen” in 2023, and she’s excited that Exposed Brick is mounting a new, traveling production of the play. Written in English and billed as one of the first — if not the first — tellings of the classic Karen story in English, Muyehpen will be performed at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul this Friday at 7 p.m. and at the Paramount Theatre in Austin at 6 p.m. April 25. The theater notes that, while all ages are welcome, the play contains references to sexual assault. Ageless echoes: The Karen story of Muyehpen finds new lifJuanita says: I love seeing how oral traditions through the centuries are able to come to life and are able to be documented in a way where we can show the rest of the world. Now that it's actually being documented, hopefully, it builds a more beautiful world of diversity and understanding that we all come from different places, but we also have shared lived human experiences, and hopefully, that instills empathy and love in the world.— Juanita VangAbstract art show: where sound and color meetAmanda Clark owns of Siiviis Gallery in Duluth. She’s shining a light on an exhibition opening at Lizzards Art Gallery on Friday. “Chromesthesia: The Sound of Color” features abstract works by 20 artists represented by Lizzards. There’s an opening artist reception 4-7 p.m. Friday, and the show will be up through late June.Amanda is looking forward to seeing the sheer variety of work in this show, as artists convey on canvas the sounds they hear.Amanda says: They hand-selected artists that are very different from one one another, and it kind of pushes their boundaries of what they normally might do in their artistic endeavors or their artistic style. And so I think this show is kind of pushing that thread of, how can I still keep my same artistic values and artistic techniques, but then create something that's a little bit less conceptual.— Amanda ClarkFlamenco at a turning pointJessica Fiala is a company member of Ragamala Dance Company, and she teaches tap classes at Ballare Teatro. She’s looking forward to seeing Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre’s show “Amanecer” April 24–26 at the Luminary Arts Center in Minneapolis.Jessica says: Zorango Flamenco was founded in 1982 by Susanna De Palma, so over more than 40 years now, she's been carving out a place for Zorongo as this anchor arts organization in the Twin Cities that also fosters an international artistic dialogue. But for this production, she's handing over the creative reins to longtime company member Deborah Elias. And so I'm particularly excited about this production because it marks a turning point in the company's history. “Amanecer” means “Dawn,” so it's both celebrating everything that has brought them to this point, with Susanna continuing as a mentor and advisor for the production, but it's also marking the dawn of a new chapter for Zorongo.— Jessica Fiala
    Show more Show less
    4 mins
  • Art Hounds: Puppet rock opera, sewing and poetry

    Art Hounds: Puppet rock opera, sewing and poetry
    Apr 9 2026

    From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above.


    Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.


    A puppet rock opera returns

    Azure Anderson of St. Paul is an artist, musician, and podcaster, and she’s a huge fan of Phantom Chorus Theatre.


    They are re-mounting the founders’ 2019 production of “Razia’s Shadow,” a puppet rock opera. The production contains 12 songs by Forgive Durden, performed live, with a new cast of puppet characters ranging in size from two to eight feet.


    The show runs April 10–25 at the Hive Collaborative in St. Paul. In-person and live-streamed tickets are available. While not designed as a children’s show, Anderson says the show is recommended for ages six and older due to a few spooky elements; if your child enjoys Tim Burton’s film “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” this show should be a good fit.


    Having seen all Phantom Chorus’s productions for the past three years, Anderson raves about them.


    Azure says: “The visuals are always incredible. The music's always incredible. And the technical aspect never misses.


    — Azure Anderson


    Sewing and style at Twin Cities Frocktails

    For Hannah Olanrewaju of St. Paul, sewing means community. She’s looking forward to Twin Cities Frocktails, an evening event where attendees are invited (though not required) to wear clothes they made themselves.


    This year’s theme is “Making Through the Decades.” Frocktails takes place 6 to 10 p.m., Saturday, April 11 at Steady Pour in Minneapolis.


    Hannah describes the vibe of the first Frocktails in 2024.


    Hannah says: There's something so uniquely wonderful about being in a room with people who've made at least one part of their outfit and can really speak the same language as you do. And so, I remember walking around with my bingo sheet and getting to know people and where they're from.


    They're asking you about your outfit, and you're asking them about their outfit. And so by the end of the night, you're saying goodbye to all these people that you've really never met before, but now, you’re finding ways to keep in touch.


    I think that's something that's so beautiful about Frocktails and about sewing, specifically, that I don't think I've been able to find anywhere else.


    — Hannah Olanrewaju


    Poetry and community in Rochester

    John Sievers is a trombonist from Rochester, but tonight, he’s looking forward to an event that celebrates poetry. The Southeastern Minnesota Poets will hold their next Bright Lights Poetry Night tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the historic Chateau Theatre.


    The theme of tonight’s reading is “Emergence.”


    John says: This event is really a community event that is encouraging people to come together as people who are interested in language and words and poetry.


    And I just love the fact that I can hear people from my community sharing their deep thoughts about important themes in today's society.


    — John Sievers
    Show more Show less
    4 mins
  • Art Hounds: A musical comedy, a science pioneer on stage and a legacy in quilt

    Art Hounds: A musical comedy, a science pioneer on stage and a legacy in quilt
    Apr 2 2026
    From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above.Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here.A rarely staged musical comedyChristine Sweet, a retired classical music radio host in St. Paul, is looking forward to seeing Minneapolis Musical Theatre’s production of "Grumpy Old Men," a musical adaptation of the 1993 romcom set in Wabasha. The musical runs April 3–19 at the Conn Theater in Minneapolis.Christine says: MMT brings us new and rarely performed musicals, digging deep to find forgotten gems and often presenting the local premieres of chosen works, which is the case with this production of “Grumpy Old Men.” After a hard winter, we could use some belly laughs at the foibles of two lifelong rivals vying through snow and ice-fishing for the attention of their attractive new neighbor.MMT draws on the Twin Cities' wealth of vocal, instrumental and theatrical talent, and I can’t wait to hear what they do with the soundtrack, which was commercially recorded just two years ago.”— Christine SweetA poetic look at a scientific pioneerCarolyn Pool, a writer and performer in St. Paul, recommends seeing “Ada Lovelace: Bride of Science,” a new play staged by nimbus theatre. Daughter of the famed poet Lord Byron, Lovelace (1815-1852) was a mathematical genius who invented the Analytical Engine, a prototype for early computers. Carolyn says this play offers a great way to introduce children to an important historical figure in STEM. This show has sliding scale tickets. It runs April 4–19 at The Crane Theater in northeast Minneapolis.The play is written by Twin Cities performer Nissa Nordland, who is also the head of the Twin Cities Horror Fest. Carolyn says: [Nordlund] has a very, very big interest in both science and beauty and poetry. And so this is going to be, yes, a play about a woman in science, and it's going to be poetic, full of beautiful language and stellar performances.— Carolyn PoolContinuing a quiltmaker’s legacyBrie Taralson owns Lykke Books, across the street from the Grand Center for Arts and Culture in New Ulm. She wants people to see the beautiful quiltwork on display in the Grand’s current exhibition, “Picking Up the Piecework: A Legacy of Creativity Through the Lens of Mary Hartten.” After Hartten, an avid quilter, died, her family gave her fabric and unfinished piecework to be sold to benefit The Grand. This exhibit features quilts that have been made — in a variety of styles — using those pieces, thus continuing Hartten’s legacy. The exhibit runs through April 24.On Sat. April 10 at 5 p.m., Mary’s son Randy Hartten will give a presentation about “An Unfinished Project,” a printed book of 54 of Mary’s quilt squares. Brie describes that project.Brie says: What's really neat is you can actually see the “finished side” on one and flip the book over and see exactly how precise she was and how complicated the stitching was on the other side. And so you get a true behind-the-scenes look at how much math and geometry and and precision that was needed to do this well. [Mary’s children] had this bound, and the the book itself is a piece of art. It's quite literally stitched together of her quilt pieces.— Brie Taralson
    Show more Show less
    4 mins
No reviews yet