ANST - Looking for the heat (long)

[Mark&Sue]

Darlene Vandever wrote:
(RE: publishing judges names)

>  As a person who has autocrated once or twice, there are several reasons why that
> might not always be able to be done.

> 1.  Event announcements are very, very space limited.  Even if you take up two whole
> pages in the Black Star, there may not always be room to publish such names.  If an
> autocrat wanted to pay for extra space, perhaps.  But most autocrats are pushing the
> envelope on their budgets as it is.

That's a shame.  Most publish the name of the cook to attact folks to a good, competant
feast.  They publish the tourney format in great detail.  The A&S parts of  events seem
ever to be an afterthought that enters the planning as "...oh, and we've got to have
something for the non-fighters".  We expect artistic talent to be rewarded and yet do so
very little to encourage the artists.

> 2.  You can publish as you wish, but sometimes, actually more often than I care to
> think about it, people don't show up to do what they said they would do at these
> events.  MOST people do, MOST of the time...

Don't you think that publishing names would encourage those named to make the extra
effort to honor their commitments.  If a judge reneges on their promise to judge, don't
go hunting for *any* substitute, ask the ARTISTS who present is qualified to judge.

> We are a volunteer organization and volunteers are not to be ordered about. More than
> once, I've had to "make do" with an alternate person because the primary person did not
> follow through.

And what would you do if the COOK just didn't show up?  Would you let them cook for
future events?  Or the gatekeeper?  Of course you'd find an on-the-spot substitute,  but
would you ever trust the volunteer gatekeeper with your money again?  Why should any
autocrat be expected to sacrifice the artists to these no-show judges again and again.

> 3.  One thing that seems to happen at a number of A&S judging competitions is that
> finding judges  is left to the very last minute....sometimes even to the point of
> waiting to see who shows up at the event and THEN approaching them to judge<snip>

> other times, they just were getting whoever showed up.  I was very happy to oblige and
> it didn't happen at a big prestigious event but I still felt uneasy judging things I
> knew very little about.  And we didn't even HAVE a judging form then!

Ah, yes, the ambush-judging technique.  When the autocrat has the audacity to shanghai
folks unaware to judge categories they are unfamiliar with, how fair is that to the
artist?  Too many times that judge-grab induces the "ooo - I've been asked to JUDGE"
prance in the unpracticed (known as the vanity judging technique) or the "sh**, I've been
asked to judge" moan (which triggers the  revenge judging mode) Would an autocrat grab
just any one to marshall a fight?  Of course not, the fighter's would raise the roof.
The honorable thing to do would be to convert the "judgless" categories to displays and
apologize *profusely* to the artists, or even appeal to them to name a judge.

And, gee, if the announcement says:
    "There will be an Arts and Sciences Competition, with judges chosen from whoever
happens to show up".

Just how many artists would care to attend?

> I don't think that there is some type of "secrecy" about who is going to judge
> occuring.

It may be defacto secrecy, but it IS secrecy.  It is very demeaning to be judged (and
perhaps found wanting) by someone you later find out (once you ferret out the name) is
your complete inferior in the field. That's happened to me more times than I care to
count.  Even dog shows certify and announce their judges...and *they* are volunteers.

> I think that sometimes they just don't know who will judge until very
> close to or the day of the event!

And that is just wrong.  It sends such a clearly disdainful message to the arts
community.  The same argument could be used to defend not choosing the marshall or the
cook or the list mistress until the autocrat "sees who shows up".

Please, Annes, none of this is directed at YOU on a personal level.  This thread has just
pushed one of my hottest hot buttons.

Once more onto my box dear friends
Tamlin du Bois Vert, OL


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