Art can provide an escape from the daily stress but it’s got its own kvetching and politics to mire itself in.

Art-A-Whirl, the tremendous northeast Minneapolis art festival, is at the heart of the discussion about whether art has to be oh so serious, and, sometimes, artsy. Its growing, becoming hugely popular and, like everything else, changes, to the consternation of some who want it to always be what it always was. Read more

It was no surprise, really, when the hucksters and street vendors showed up around the site of World Trade Center buildings while the holes in the ground were still smoking in 2001. We don’t expect much in the way of decency when there’s a quick buck to be made. But the new 9/11 Museum that opened last week is also cashing in on the collapse, to the consternation of family members of those killed. Read more

Commercial radio and TV will probably die off when the :15 and :30 second advertisement does. One gets the sense that the day is approaching, considering advertising’s growing fascination with docu-ads, entertaining films that, at the end, sell you something.

The latest comes from Cornetto, a U.K. ice cream company, which has taken 8 minutes to tell you that more than just the world of advertising is changing in a hurry. Read more