ANST - Merchanting, A&S Autocrat, and the Arts

[C.L. Ward]

Sael og heil!

The questions were asked whether it was proper that:
>1) Merchants that enter their wares in A&S competitions.
>2) A&S event steward competing in the competition.

I'd like to add my two marks' worth to the on-going discussion.  Like my
good cousin, Sir Kief, I fear that this has struck me in a tender spot as
well on a number of levels:

>1) Merchants that enter their wares in A&S competitions.

Firstly, why should there be any problem with a merchant entering their
wares in an A&S competition?  As long as the merchant made the item, and
documents it to the standards of the competition, why should it matter if
the item is for sale or not?  We enter items that will be given away later
in the event as prizes, we enter items made for our own use, what's the
difference if somebody made the entry for the purpose of selling it?  This
almost seems a non-sensical question to me.

>From time to time, the SCA has shown prejudice against artistic merchants.
I understand that in some parts of the world where SCA merchant-artists are
more prolific that their merchant status has hindered them from receiving
awards and recognition.  But it should not.

Anyone who has ever attended Pennsic has seen the many amazing wares
offered by merchant-artisans.  And if you didn't move quickly enough, the
merchant often provided a free lecture on the history and technique of the
item as well.  I have seen merchants actually demonstrate their art at
their booths, and/or provide free handouts and documentation.  All of these
merchants are doing the work of a Laurel - perfecting their arts, and
sharing knowledge of these arts with the people around them.

The only bar to the progress in rank of a merchant is the fact that many
stay trapped in their booths during events, and so do not get out and get
noticed.  Therefore it is all the more crucial that the merchant-artist
enter their work in A&S competitions, if they wish to receive notice.  Some
enter their work not to compete, but as a means of sharing their art and
their documentation with those who view the arts display.

Of course merchant-artists should be able to enter their work in A&S
competitions!

>2) A&S event steward competing in the competition.

Let me remind the asker and some of the prior answerers that in the SCA
each and every one of us is presumed to be honorable, a person of gentle
birth and honor.  It is a grievous insult to even imply that a person might
be dishonest without hard and fast proof that this is true.  The actual
Middle Ages may not have been filled with paragons of virtue, but almost
every person who was attracted to the SCA came not to emulate medieval
thugs and ruffians, but to become a part of the chivalric dream, the ideals
that upheld Arthur and his knights.

In general, the person who organizes an A&S competition does not judge it.
This is happenstance more than plan.  Certainly in this case the A&S
Steward should not be prevented from entering the contest... it cannot
possibly matter if they are not tasked with judging.

Further, even if the A&S Steward should be a judge, rarely does a single
person decide and declare the winner, usually the decision is made either
based on numeric scoring performed by a group of judges or else by group
discussion.  Occasionally a single person is tasked to select a winner, and
when that occurs it is almost invariably the Crown or one of the Crown's
Landed Nobles.  So again, why should the A&S Steward not be allowed to
enter the competition? 

The only impropriety that I can see would be if the A&S Steward who enters
the event were somehow to judge their own work *in addition to being the
only person involved in declaring the winner*.  This is patently
ridiculous... no one expects a person to judge their own work, and in such
a case an alternate judge would be located.   And I for one would even go
so far as to say that if the A&S Steward felt that they could honestly
judge the whole competition and select a winner and still felt that they
could honestly and honorably enter their own work as well, then that person
should be allowed to do so based on the fact that in this Scoeity we assume
that all are honorable.

If you expect the best of people, in general they will live up to your
expectations.  If you expect the worst of them, they will likewise live up
to your expectations.  

We have come a long way in 20 years from a Society which bragged about the
fact that you could leave a $100 bill on your cot in your tent, with the
tent completely open to view, and know that no one would touch it.  We used
to boast about it!  Those days are, alas no more -- the Society grew too
quickly, and somehow along the way that particular boast was lost.

But still, I think we should cling all the tighter to the honor and bright
virtues that we do have, and continue to make them ours, to make them an
integral part of the Society.  Expect that each person is honorable, noble,
and honest.  Expect yourself to be the same.




Wæs Þu Hæl (Waes Thu Hael)

::GUNNORA::

Gunnora Hallakarva
Baroness to the Court of Ansteorra
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Ek eigi visa þik hversu oðlask Lofstirrlauf-Kruna heldr hversu na Hersis-Aðal
(Ek eigi thik hversu odhlask Lofstirrlauf-Kruna heldr hversu na Hersis-Adhal)

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