Story contributed by Eric Bos.

Last July, in a neighborhood far away from any cultural institution, a coalition of 14 young artists created Open Space, a gallery and performance space aiming to showcase all types of artistic endeavors. Located inside an auto body shop in the heart of the Remington industrial district in Baltimore, the gallery poses no air of haughty indifference. Rather, it is a modest space run by modest people.

Brooklyn Mammal has had a good several months since we initially profiled them back in October 2009. Since then, Adam Lesser and Michael Miritello, the two behind this Red Hook-based sustainable wood shop, have sorted out several aspects of their business and its ongoing plan, but that doesn't mean that they still don't face hiccups in the realization of their new enterprise.

Very often, the idea of combining art and a business model successfully seems like a daunting task. Try mixing that with social responsibility and you think that would be an unfathomable feat to pull off, but The Working Proof is doing just that.

Giorgio Armani tried to kill Fabrice Penot. At least, it seems his business almost did. A perfume designer, Fabrice worked for years on the House of Armani brand. But even though he was brought in to run the fragrance division, he was constantly called to answer to the financial and marketing departments, who demanded a justification—a real world example of how and where a particular concept has worked for someone else—for every idea he tried to pursue. Demonstrating tested marketplace success before acting is the opposite of innovation, and nearly drove Fabrice Penot mad.