You could forgive Duluth's Charlie Parr for wincing a bit when he first heard his song on an ad for mobile giant Vodafone. The soundtrack is quintessential Parr: the quiet engine of his blues guitar fingerpicking and the jumpy growl of his voice. The scene, however, is completely alien to the shadow America of Parr's songs.

By Amy Goetzman | Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2008

Last year, nonprofit Friends of the Public Library organizations pitched in more than $1.8 million to help the Minneapolis system and $1.3 million in St. Paul. Where would these institutions be without a little help from their Friends?

By Katherine Glover

Friday, Oct. 3, 2008

"This is the kind of movie that's going to make my life harder," says Jennifer Dunnam, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota. "The people in this movie just seem to lose all capacity for creativity and for taking care of themselves, and it's a problem when real people already think that about blind people."

If you can make people laugh and think, in words or pictures or both, show us your stuff.

Film writer Rob Nelson offers a comprehensive guide to the films you won't want to miss (hint: one involves a wedding) and other movies to put on your calendar.

Below ground in Waite Park, Minn. — a quarry town on the outskirts of St. Cloud with a population just shy of 7,000 — quarry employees and their families watched the improbable staging of modern-dance master Merce Cunningham's new piece, "Ocean."

Comic and lefty satirist Lizz Winstead, in town for her own take on the Republicans, explains how she came to dance with John McCain and what we can expect at this convention. A Q&A. 

By Christy DeSmith
Friday, Aug. 29, 2008

As the Twin Cities prepare for their close-up, local arts organizations clamor for the attention of our guests.

By Joe Kimball | Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008

The Great Minnesota Get-Together recovered nicely from a damaging 2007 thunderstorm 10 days before its opening.  Now, the Fair faces the ill winds of high gas prices and a weak economy, plus the potential impact of election-year politicking and, maybe, visiting protesters seeking a big audience.

By Linda Mack | Tuesday, July 29, 2008

There's a revolution in the world of design, and a little village at the Walker Art Center shows just how that movement is leading to innovations for the "Other 90%."