The Cafe for March

American scientist Linus Pauling once said, "The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas." Below are some ideas that might give you ideas and inspire you in your quest for making art in March. Who knows how many songs could be written, dances could be choreographed, pictures could be painted or photographed, plays could be written from these possible ideas? Find something below that interests you and consider how you could use that information in your own art.

March birthstone: aquamarine, also called beryl

Flower: daffodil
If you have a chance this year, go up to Running Springs and visit the “Daffodil Garden.” The garden is open to the public for 3 weeks in the spring, usually the last week of March and the first two weeks of April. But, flowers can bloom at unpredictable times, especially depending on the weather, so contact the garden to see if it is open before you go up. Here is a link to the garden’s website.

Music in our Schools Month- For all you musicians, this is a great time to think about your local schools. How can you help? Perhaps you can provide lessons (or provide a scholarship for six months of lessons to a child), donate CD’s, perhaps even take your instrument collection with you and talk to a class about music.

March 2- Green Monday (also called “Clean Monday” or “Pure Monday”). This is the beginning of Orthodox Lent.

March 2- Dr. Seuss’ birthday and Read Across America Day. If you are looking for a good book to read, perhaps this one would be appropriate. Or, you could choose the Artists Workb.e.n.c.h. bookclub selection for this quarter here.

March 3 Alexander Graham Bell’s birthday- call your mom! The video below is has no sound. Enjoy!




March 3- on this day in 1931, the Star Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key, officially became the National Anthem of the U.S.A.
Here is a look at the actual flag that inspired Key’s poem.
Here are the complete lyrics of the song. Most people only know the first verse.

March 4- International Scrapbooking Day- all you collage artists, you might be able to find some good sales on supplies. And, for those who have shoeboxes (or hard drives) full of pictures, this might be a day to resolve to organize and scrapbook.

March 6- Michelangelo’s Birthday
Here is a link with many of his works. Click on the thumbnails to see a larger picture. There is also a link to read a biography of Michelangelo.

March 8- Daylight Savings Time begins (spring forward) until November 1. It’s also National Change Your Batteries (in your fire alarms) Day. For more about fire safety click here.


March 10- Purim


Above: Alex Levin, Purim at Mea Shearim (oil painting, 2004)

If you don’t know much about this Jewish holiday celebration about Esther, read here.


March 14- Albert Einstein’s Birthday
Many people can give Einstein’s theory of relativity, but how many truly know what it means, and how it changed science? Here is a video that clearly explains how Einstein changed our view of the universe.



March 15- Ways to celebrate the Ides of March:

-Throw a Toga Party
-Read (or re-read) Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, or watch one of the movie versions.
-If Shakespeare is a bit too daunting, listen to some Marc Anthony tunes
-Get appointed dictator
-Order a Caesar salad (not actually named for Julius Caesar, but festive anyway)
-Use the phrase “Vini Vidi Vici,” or the English translation “I came, I saw, I conquered” at least once.
-Turn your calendar to July- the month was named in honor of Julius Caesar
-Get a Caesar-style haircut
-Ask the question, “Et tu, Brute?”

March 17-22 American Chocolate Week- Is chocolate a medium for art? These people think so! Click here and/or here.

March 17- St. Patrick’s Day- here are some gorgeous pictures of the Emerald Isle.
And here is a biography of St. Patrick, teaching us that there’s a lot more to him than shamrocks and snakes:

March 19- The Swallows return to Capistrano, an event that has inspired countless artists.

March 20- First Day of Spring



March 21 National Quilting Day- Check out this quilt!













March 21- Children’s Poetry Day- try writing a poem for a child. Here are some examples

March 24- Harry Houdini’s birthday


March 30- Alaska was purchased from Russia for $7.2 million.


March 30- A day for all who make mistakes to celebrate (that would be everyone, right?). The pencil with an eraser was patented in 1858.
_________________________________________________
In this New Scientist feature, photographer Chris Jordan tries to graphically produce what our society’s overconsumption actually looks like. Very interesting stuff that has a pretty clear and convincing message.

Mute Math is a quickly rising rock band from New Orleans that has successfully moved into the American mainstream. They broke into the mass market in 2006 with a pair of crossover hits, “Typical” and “Control”. Some of its members were formerly in Earthsuit, best known for “One Time”, their inescapable Christian radio hit in 2000. Here is an excellent live performance from “The Jimmy Kimmel Show”.

Christianity Today reviewer Mark Moring discusses spiritual themes in Working on a Dream, the new album from Bruce Springsteen. Click here to read the interesting article.