“The Triumph of Spring”
Sandro Botticelli
Italian, 1486
“Spring”
Roger Thorgsvald
Minnesotan, 2011
There’s nothing like a weather joke. Especially if you’re it. Until Smugglers’ Inn Rimini becomes a reality, Smug’s zone of influence extends from the water tower in Blaine all the way to the cement Polar Bear at Polar Chev in N. St. Paul. (Stunning—and they say the Midwest doesn’t have great art.) We have, count ‘em, one location in Minneapolis and today, on this fifth day of spring, freezing rain has been followed by five inches of new snow, making driving to the store for a loaf of overpriced Artisan bread an act of bravery or faith, depending on whether you or a Somali cabbie does the steering.
“Yes, but the snow is so pretty!”
Fie upon you, ignorant stranger! Know you not that snow kills more people each year than sharks? Shoveling snow, especially this spring cement with its added weight of accumulated dog turds and sodden cigarette butts, is the leading cause of heart attacks among Lutheran males of a certain age. Look it up. “Snow is pretty?” Are the ambulances that cart the fallen to Minnesota’s 24 cardiac centers pretty? To you, maybe. Their flashing lights probably remind you of Christmas.
Clearly, there’s some cabin fever at work here. Before we start looking at each other and imagining steaming hams and turkey legs like in some Tex Avery cartoon, we ask your help in finding something for the staff at Smugglers’ Inn to do. And, hopefully, someplace else to do it.
To that end, we’ve published a list of businesses that, we’re convinced, need but a coy smile from us before they call, begging to employ the creative geniuses who thought of turning a theme restaurant into an advertising boutique. In Blaine. If you don’t see yourself on the list, fear not. New York and Chicago are temperate to us and even Canada can boast great bodies of water in liquid form. Dentsu Siberia? We may need to get back to you.
AAC Saatchi & Saatchi, Bermuda
Ogilvy & Mather Hawaii, Honolulu
Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Miami
Droga5, Sydney
Grey Global, San Antonio
Prestige Marketing, Barbados
The Jupiter Drawing Room, Cape Town
Zimmerman and Partners, Fort Lauderdale
The Harris Agency, Honolulu
GSD&M, Austin
Strascina Strascina Garcia, Albuquerque
TBWA, Paris
The Richards Group, Dallas
Kessels Kramer, Amsterdam
Saatchi & Saatchi, Sydney
3 Advertising, Albuquerque
Anson-Stoner, Orlando
DDB, Milano
Grey, Paris
Draft FCB, Cape Town
Clemenger BBDO, Melbourne
Lowe Australia
The Campaign Palace, Melbourne
JWT, Sydney
OgilvyOne Worldwide, San Antonio
Saatchi & Saatchi, Aukland
Droga5, Sydney
M&C Saatchi, Australia
The French Laundry, Yountville (we cook)
Ogilvy & Mather, Barbados
Leo Burnett, Bangkok
Lowe Bull, Cape Town
Red Cell, Darlinghurst
Publicis Lowe, Sydney
Tiempo BBDO, Barcelona
DCS Comunicacoes, Porto Alegre (no idea, but it sounds warm)
