ROCKLAND — Every year around this time, the Farnsworth Art Museum and their merry band of artists and entrepreneurs, known as The Collective, put their heads together to come up with events that will blow ours.

This year, three events are planned in March all around the theme of origami. "This is the third year we've organized events in the spring months as a way to break out of the gloom of winter and do a theme based on colors and patterns," said Special Events Manager Annie Brown. “This year we're working with a Japanese theme."

Animals Out of Paper
The first event is a March 4 staged reading by the Everyman Repertory Theatre at the Farnsworth Art Museum from 1 to 3 p.m. It's titled Animals Out of Paper by Rajiv Joseph about an uncommon love story between Andy, a high school teacher and avid fan, who pressures the reclusive Ilana, a world-famous origami artist, into becoming an unwitting mentor to a troubled teenage prodigy named Suresh. These three intriguingly flawed characters begin to reshape and mold each other's lives in much the same way they fold and crease their paper art.

Sumo Stew
The second event involves sumo wrestling. Brown reached out some friends in Brooklyn who do a traveling pop-up event known as Sumo Stew—a culinary event paired with live streaming sumo wrestling. On Thursday, March 16, beginning at 6 p.m., photographer Michael Harlan Turkell brings Sumo Stew to FOG Bar & Cafe, 328 Main St. in downtown Rockland.

"They've taken this event on the road from San Francisco to New York, Washington D.C. as well as a few other places and we got them to come up to Rockland," said Brown.

Diners can expect to walk in and receive a bento box filled with culinary treats from local eateries such as Nína June, Suzuki's Sushi Bar and Main Street Meats, among others; as well as a drink token for a specialty cocktail and a reserved seat. The venue will be live streaming sumo wrestling from Japan. "I think every six to eight weeks they bring the highest ranked sumo wrestlers together for a grand tournament, which we will get to see," said Brown. Meanwhile, Harlan Turkell will be preparing the classic dish commonly eaten by sumo wrestlers to gain weight, called chankonabe, which is a stew made up of large quantities of protein sources, usually chicken, fish (fried and made into balls), tofu, or sometimes beef; and vegetables (daikon, bok choy, etc.) A chankonobe station will be set up with vegetarian and meat options.

The [Collective] Bash: Origami
This third event is the Farnsworth [Collective's] biggest event of the year, where they will take over the vacant 449 Main St. storefront space, former site of 3Crow, for The [Collective] Bash: Origami on Saturday, March 25, beginning 8 p.m.

Brown is currently working with the [Collective] artists to build art installations around a paper theme. "We'll have a large origami project going on, but other pieces will be inspired by angles, folding, patterns,” she said. “It's exciting to work with some new artists. For example, Elaine Ng will create a site-specific installation; she's never done anything with the [Collective] before.”

Brooklyn-based dance duo Sofi Tukker will be the evening’s entertainment. Their current hit, Drinkee, was nominated for a 2017 Grammy.

A group of [Collective] volunteers—led by artists Trelawney O'Brien and Margaret Rizzio—have been cranking out custom party hats for all attendees and the local network of makers will create a colorful world of pattern and paper and surprise.

Tickets are free to members of the [Collective] and $35 for the general public, available at 2017collectivebash.splashthat.com. Costumes are welcomed at the 21-and-older event. Tickets are going fast and the event sells out each year.

Kay Stephens can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com