A&S Competitions

[James Crouchet]

On Thu, 30 Mar 1995, Jennifer Kubenka wrote:

> On Thu, 30 Mar 1995 Meadhbhni at aol.com wrote:
> 
> > Emher says:
> > 
> > 
> > >Really? I have entered three A&S competitions in all and I >haven't been 
> > >asked this once.
> > 
> > It seems that this maybe something done here in stargate.  i do know that we
> > have had competitions before where the artisan always stated their level of
> > expertise. 
> > 
> > meadhbh
> > 
> 
> Ahh, I see.  I think this might be a good idea, except that who 
> determines when someone has passed say, the beginner level, and is now 
> really intermediate?
> 
> I would hope that the artisan would be honorable enough to be truthful 
> about the project at hand.  In my case, I would definitely be a beginner 
> at blackwork, but advanced at Assisi or other forms of counted 
> cross-stitch work.  And so I would enter the project accordingly.
> 
> Emher ni Maille
> 
Well this assumes that the artisan knows how to rate their own work.  
Besides the fact that accurate self evaluation is a rare skill this can 
be complicated by simple lack of experience. 

For example, I have earned my living doing various types of woodwork, but 
in the SCA I have entered only a few A&S compititions. At those times I 
received very few comments and those I did receive were something like 
_very interesting_. So how do I rate my work?  If I guess too low I will 
be considered dishonorable for competeing unfairly. If I guess too high I 
will be considered presumptious.

And what of the artist trying a new skill for the first time, if they 
turn out to be REALLY GOOD. They would probably expect to enter their 
first work as a novice. But if it is far above the work of the other 
novices some folks will decide he/she entered to wrong catigory to cheat.

Now, I am not saying these problems are not fixable. But I do think these 
issues need to be resolved before such a system is put into place.

Savian