ANST - Overlooked A&S Displays - What Do You Do?

[Lee Martindale]

Gunnora Hallakarva wrote:
 
> Depends.  If I did in fact go over your work carefully while you were in
> the privy or otherwise unavailable, I'd say so.  This happens more than you
> would think.

I'm sure it does.

> I am one of those people who always writes a critique.  Sometimes, like
> Mistress Siobhan, all I can say is, "You should go talk to _________ who is
> the Laurel best known for this particular art in Ansteorra," or "I can't
> judge this properly knowing nothing about _______.  However, _____,
> _______, and _______ are all experts in the field.  You should try and
> speak with one or more of these people if you get the chance."  Therefore,
> normally you would know that I had been there while you were away.

An excellent system.

> But sometimes accidents happen, distractions abound at these events.  And
> if I had inadvertently overlooked it, I'd go over and take a look then.  We
> make mistakes too.

A heartening attitude, indeed. 

> Master Iolo once said a very wise thing, which directly applies to the art
> of judging: "The more awards you have, the longer it takes to get to the
> privy."  This is true, certainly, if you have a Laurel!

Which makes me ever so grateful to be but an itinerate bard.

> One thing that SCA arts competitions do not usually do, but might should
> consider, is to use an approach often found in art competitions at craft
> shows:  there the items are looked at by the judges while isolated... the
> art and the judges are all in one area, the public and artisans are not
> allowed in, which means that the judges can hopefully get the items judges
> in the least amount of time with the most concentration.

This would seem a fine system for all concerned.

> Your judges are pure volunteers...
> normally we show up as Laurels and Irises, pad and pencil in hand,
> expecting to be needed as judges without ever being asked. We get no pay
> for this effort.  Normally we must pay full site fee just as the entrants
> do.  We don't get free feast.  And certainly no hard cold cash.  Yet we are
> expected to work our butts off all day long (owch!  my feet!) much harder
> than we work at our mundane jobs and our normal reward is complaining from
> people who didn't like the critiques we did offer.  At maybe a third of A&S
> events, the autocrat will remember to thank the judges -- we're Laurels,
> it's our job, right?  But it's also our recreation time.

Sounds a bit like being a camp herald at Steppes Warlord.

In service,
Llereth
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