Artists reflecting society's thinking

Yet another article reporting the mass interest in mental health from Artists.

A separation seems to exist between the awareness art brings to a subject in comparison to design, though the starting point may be of exactly the same value. Is it that artists can be seen to be inspired by Mental Health but Designers are generally just trying to find a way to make money from it? Or do we just value 'art' as something more cultured and historically valuable - as the forefront of something deeper. Rather than a question of semantics I think there is a grey area surrounding what design is proud of, how do we as designers showcase ourselves inside the industry. I don't remember the last time I read a 'cool design blog' that focused on systems, service and experience.

'It can’t be coincidence that as more of us confront the anguish of dementia, artists are becoming intrigued with shifting memory and altered personality, with dementia’s deeply unsettling effect on the self and on others. '

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/05/the-caregivers-bookshelf-a-doctors-decline/?emc=eta1