Alexander Calder, inventor of the mobile (a form of moving sculpture---term coined by Marcel Duchamp) created over 16,000 original works of art in his lifetime (1898-1976). He caused a sensation when he went to Paris in the 30s and performed his circus, a portable menagerie which he created out of wire, string, bit of cloth and wood. He would take a roll of wire and pliers with him to parties and create portraits of everyone in attendance as gifts. Calder could make anything with wire, from beautiful jewelry to practical kitchen utensils. So here's the thing to do: get inspired by Alexander Calder. There's an amazing documentary on his life and work, available on DVD, from the PBS "American Masters" series (available at the public library www.imcpl.org). Watch that and then make your own circus, maybe out of paper clips and Christmas candy wrappers. Then take a trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, where a Calder mobile is hanging from the ceiling. Try to make it move by blowing kisses at it (I don't think they can kick you out of the IMA for doing that). After that, go downtown and dance around the DePew fountain (near the World War memorial) which was created by Calder's father, Alexander Stirling Calder. www.answers.com/topic/depewfountainasc-jpg-1 Now visit here for help on making mobiles: parenting.ivillage.com/tp/tpactivities/0,,9x8p,00.html If you need more inspiration after that, visit the Calder Foundation website for everything you could ever want to know about this influential American artist. www.calder.org