ANST - New noncombat topic

Mon Sep 8 11:28:52 PDT 1997

Siobhan here again.

Llereth makes an _excellent_ point that each and every artisan deserves to be
judged when they enter a competition, and I completely agree.  Everyone is
entitled to that respect and courtesy, and I believe this answers in part my
query about the role of honor and chivalry in A&S competitions.

However, in our imperfect world, sometimes that just doesn't happen, and the
reason is often due to lack of judges or time.  Specifically with regard to
Steppes Artisan, this event has grown from a somewhat small competition to
one of the larger arts events in the kingdom in a short period of time, a
credit to our fair barony.  However, since we only have one artisan a year,
that's a pretty small pool to pull judges from.  Does this make it OK for
someone's work to be slighted?  Of course not!  It does call for everyone's
understanding.  Perhaps the past artisans could meet and discuss possible
ways to handle this growth.

When I agree to judge a competition, I have agreed to do the best job  I can
to evaluate the work of the contestants and provide them with useful
feedback.  If I have 40 research papers to read in 8 hours, I do the best I
can under those circumstances, and my best in these circumstances is
extremely wanting, and I am at least as unhappy as the entrant with the
feedback given.  If I have 15 research papers to read in 8 hours, my best
effort is of considerably more benefit to the entrant (at least I hope it
is.)  

As a judge, I have an obligation to provide a full and thorough critique.  An
entrant has the right to have their work fully evaluated.  The reality
principle doesn't always accommodate itself to those obligations and rights.
 I can only write so fast; I can only examine so many entries; I can only
talk to so many artisans; and I can only ingest so much caffeine before I
need a potty and food break.  Does anyone really want an evaluation from
someone who's surviving on 3 hours of sleep and a billion milligrams of
caffeine?  When I get hungry and tired enough, I am frequently not my calm,
even-tempered self ;-).

Also, when I find myself asked to judge body of work competitions, I am quite
often trying to evaluate something I know nothing about.  For example, if a
piece of armor is included in a competition, my evaluation is pretty much
limited to:  does it look like the armor looked in period? and is the
documentation reasonable?  When it comes to techniques and methods of
production, I know nothing.  If there is an expert in the field around, I try
to nab them, but that isn't always the case.  Lots of people have received
ballots from me saying "I like your work.  I know nothing about this field.
 Sorry I can't be of more help.  Try to contact ___________."  In addition, I
have some fairly severe food allergies, and if you aren't around to tell me
exactly what is in a given dish, chances are I won't taste it.

I think the artisans who have been posting have contributed a lot of valuable
input to the conversation.  I also think those posting from the judging side
of the fence have done the same.  So, if we're all right, the real question
becomes how to arrive at some sort of viable solution.  My personal theory is
that Laurels need to make it clear that they are accessible to discuss
someone's work outside of competition situations, and artisans need to be
proactive about seeking commentary outside of competition situations.  Nor
should artisans seek evaluations only from Laurels; there are plenty of
experts who can be very helpful to you who don't have the "power jewelry."