ANST - New noncombat topic

[Dennis Grace]

Hi all. Aquilanne here.

Woohaha!!! I'm with Gunnora; looks like a warm topic for me as well, and
therefore I probably have more to say than some might want to read.

I have a *just* little trouble with the wording (and hence perhaps a
glimpse into some regional philosophy here?) of the question of whether
Laurels be "allowed" to enter Kingdom A&S. To hell with being "allowed" to
enter; I think it's every Laurel's _duty_ to enter Kingdom A&S if they can,
just as it is every knight's duty to enter Crown if they can. Kingdom A&S
is the artist's parallel to Crown.

Laurels are supposed to represent excellence and mastery in the arts and
hold the standards to which non-laurel artisans can aspire. Kingdom A&S is
the appropriate arena for determining who exemplifies these standards and
whom the Kingdom of Ansteorra can hold up as a representative of the height
of artistic standards one should expect from Ansteorran artistans. 
 
Gunnora says:
>Even if you argue that it is unfair to compete against a Laurel who is a
>master in their field and therefore cannot lose in a category, I think that
>is a demonstrably flawed argument as well.

I agree. The first Kingdom A&S competition I entered was in Atenveldt.
Entry into at least eight categories was required to compete for Champion.
I was not a Laurel at the time. I won. I might add that some of the
kingdom's finest artists--including Laurels--also were competing for
Champion as well. The point is that with clear examples of excellence from
active Laurels as quide and inspiration, clear-cut criteria to illustrate
what level quality of work was expected, and some hard work, the playing
field is as level as it needed to be.

Excellence in the arts leading to Laurel-dom and Kingdom A&S Champion
requires hard work, just as training and preparation for Knighthood and
Crown requires hard work. 

>Some people want to allow Laurels to compete, but to structure the
>competition so that Laurels compete only with Laurels. 

Basic point here: If an individual chooses to display and offer their
artwork for sale mundanely, their success--in sales--is based on the
quality of their work, not whether or not they've been given some kind of
"handicap" because of lack of experience or lack of credentials. Once
they've chosen to enter this level of competition, they should be able to
hold their own.

A simple extension of the above point also addresses one of Siobhan's
questions regarding honor on the A&S playing field: it is not honorable to
lower standards and expectations for select groups entering Kingdom A&S. It
would be like having a separate list during crown for the non-belted
fighters. I, for one, would have felt insulted and patronized if I had not
been allowed to compete fairly across the board with *every* artisan
entering the Kingdom A&S that I entered (and won, remember?) as a
non-Laurel. To suggest that Laurels have an "unfair advantage" is likewise
a dishonorable charge. I'm sure I'm going to piss a few people off by
saying this, but if an artisan wants to win a champion's recognition, they
should be willing to put in a champion's effort. Presenting Kingdom A&S as
a playing field open to recognize the most valient artistic effort of the
day is the only respectful approach to Kingdom A&S; respectful to the
entrants, and respectful to the Kingdom whom we wish to honor and
artistically represent.

As Gunnora says:
>My experience with management and teaching tells me that if you set low
>goals, people will never exert themselves to far exceed those goals.  But
>if you set a goal that is lofty, people will give everything and then some
>to attain it, sometimes exceeding your expectations as well as their own. 

> Aspera ad Astra, the Latin motto goes:  "Aspire to the Stars!"
>Let us keep our goals and our ideals as stellar as our badge, so that we
>can surprise ourselves by reaching for the stars and, sometimes, attaining
>them.

I would like to echo Mistress Gunnora's sentiments here. I would also like
to suggest that perhaps the arts are not as respected as they should be.
Unlike our knights, wonderful and skilled as they may be, some of us
artisans actually make a living with the arts we engage in and display in
the SCA. As well, battles and wars were won by skilled warriors and
commanders, but the arts are what have provided us with records of those
battles, and of daily life, and glimpses into the thoughts and philosophies
of the medieval mind. Art is a direct reflection of the state of our
humanity, then and now. We need to be respectful of that fact and take the
arts as seriously as they deserve to be taken.

Aquilanne
Dory Grace--The Inkwell
denouncer of Tytvylus & warrior crone
amazing at mail.utexas.edu
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