A&S Competitions Was Re: Tournaments

Meadhbhni at aol.com Meadhbhni at aol.com
Mon Mar 27 22:12:08 PST 1995


Michael Litchfield said:

>Really? To my knowledge, every Barony has at least one >resident laurel, and
>many shires do. Is it really that much trouble for them to >poke around, to
>find out what people are doing? To correspond with other >laurels and
>mention the
>people in your are who are doing things?

Sorry, but not all groups have peers available.  The entire western region
has 1 laurel.  There are a number of groups throughout the kingdom that don't
have any laurels as well.  We do poke around and try and see what is going
on.  You said that you didn't think arts and science competitions/displays
were a necessary evil.  Well, if you can come up with a better suggestion, I
would love to hear it.  Yes, the competitions can be subjective, and people
are trying to find ways to change that. I do try to be as objective as I can
when judging.  I do agree with you on one point---judging categories that are
outside ones area of expertise.  I always hate that.  What I do in that case
is look for people that do have a knowledge in that area and ask their
opinion or see if they will judge that category. Laurels aren't the only ones
able to judge---there are plenty of artisans out there that can do a great
job.  

Michael said:

>When was the last time you saw a laurel actually taking >active measure to
>investigate people's activities rather than just sitting back >and expecitng
>it to be brought to them?

Would you care to elaborate on this?  Many laurels (me included )spend hours
on the road traveling to events to see what people have done.  I wouldn't
call this waiting for someone to bring something to me to see.  The artisan
needs to put in the effort as well.  I would like to ask you this---how many
people do you know that are artisans?   if you do and you feel that their
work is not being recognized--have you brought it to the attention of a
laurel in your area?  

Michael said:

>On the rare occasions when you do encounter someone who >also practices
>something similar to what you do, you are placed in >competion with them.
>Sharing with them is
>not in your interest as it reduces your chance to win the >competition.

I have rarely experienced this problem.  I have always found the individuals
that shared my area of expertise always helpful and willing to share
information with me and visa versa.  One type of arts event that gets away
from the 'judging' aspects is the Laurel's Prize Tourney.  It sounds like
another competition but it is not.  Artisans set up a display of a body of
work.  The laurel's view the works and get a chance to talk with the artisans
about them.  No major prizes are awarded.  Some laurels may give small tokens
of appreciation to the artisans that make something that catches their eye
and/or word fame later during the feast.

So, as i said earlier, if you can come up with a better system.  Share your
knowlede (or as kief said: put your money where your mouth is!!!!!).  

meadhbh



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