ANST - an aside ... was: arts documentation

[j'lynn yeates]

On 20 May 99, at 8:43, C.L. Ward wrote:

>  Few of us have digital cameras yet, and film and developing costs are
> expensive.  And scanners are not available in every home as of yet.  Who
> is going to pay? The artisans?  The group holding the event? The Kingdom
> A&S Ministry?

no need to shoot down a new idea based on trivial details.  i really doubt that 
the negatives brought up would provide a insurmountable hurdle in the domain of 
the suggestion  ...  

from long term observation SCAdians are notorious "shutterbugs" and the tech-
faction is very high (much higher than the non-tech faction seem to be 
comfortable with) and i'm seeing more and more digitals at events.  question, 
seems that every major event has images online shortly afterwards - usually 
primarily court & combat ... why would this not extend to the arts, when the 
arts are even more image-centric and populated by the people who would likely 
have the cameras at the events (artists being artists ... i know that i always 
have a point-and-shoot somewhere in the kit) ???

i'll bet that if you ask around you can possibly find a local type with a 
digital, or can make prior arraingements to have a non-local bring theirs to 
events.   i'm interested in such things and at the last five events i attended, 
there was at least one digital in attendence.  make a friend or three and 
invite the owners to be the contest photographer(s) (few camera owners i know 
turn down the chance to practice they're art when asked ...)  

even for traditional wet-photography, a roll of film and development is'nt 
going to break anyone who has a camera ... and most SCA folk that i've known 
over the years have no problem donating a bit here and there to the cause.  and 
in the near term, even this becomes a non-issue as digital displaces chemical 
photography for normal use (watch the feeding frenzy in mid-high quality point-
n-shoot digitals this next hiliday season ...)

another option, on the entry forms, ask for a *optional* photograph of the work 
for the post-judging records ... 

and as for scanners at home, with the price plummits of the last couple years 
at less than $100 and dropping (that near-$1K HP flatbed i needed for a project 
a few years back still smarts) in really a non barrier ... with the heavy 
academic / tech base of the membership (that views such things as necessary 
"tools") i'll bet you can find one readily available in your local group ... 
many of us have equipment we would gladly use for the cause (my house runs 1 
color flat bed and 2 page scanners ... and am always glad to scan images for 
people) .. all it takes is the asking.

as an artisan, if i were competing i would welcome a public place to post my 
work and it's documentation (if you are so poor to do photos, have no friends 
with cameras, or so technically isolated that there is no way to get the image 
in, etc .... simply post the documentation).  and i would bet there are a *lot* 
out there that would love to have a venue to get their work "published"
 
> Now having said this, I will also mention that is certain other kingdoms,
> the Laurels report that individual apprentices and artisans are encouraged
> (coerced?) by the Laurels into keeping a photo-scrapbook of their own
> work, with work samples in the book as well if their art is conducive to
> that sort of thing -- and a photo of themselves right in the front.  The
> Laurels borrow these portfolios from time to time to show to other
> Laurels, some events have displays where artisans show their portfolios. 

and they could be scanned and posted ... and in doing so allow a great many 
others to benefit from the work, not just the event audience at the event.  
origional idea was to open up the data to as many interested people as possible 
... all people who would benefit from it.  

> And of course when the time comes for a Laurel to explain to the King why 
> exactly Lady So-and-so or Lord Thus-and-such needs an arts award, or when 
> they are bringing this person to the attention of the Laurels' Circle for
> possible elevation to the peerage, it's *much* easier to know why -- the 
> person you are "pitching" to can see the work, and if the artisan's photo is
> right there, it provides an extremely useful jog to memory.  

another plus for the online.  the populace and leadership could see the images 
of a persons work as it develops for themselves and make recommendations to all 
involved directly.  would also be nice a few years down the way to go back and 
see how a artisan has developed or branched out.    

> One of the  big stumbling blocks in getting awards or the Laurel is the fact
> > that while everyone in the kingdom may know your work, oftentimes folks
> don't know the face that goes with the work. 

good point, i'll amend the origional idea to include a artists bio ... with a 
personal image if they wish.  one thing you leran about "art" as vocation and 
profession ... there's always a measure of "marketing" of self and ones work 
necessary to be noticed.  so far the web is one of the best marketing tools 
ever created.

> My suggestion would be for every artisan in the kingdom to start such a 
> scrapbook.  I wish now that I had done so as a young artisan, because for 
> YEARS I made stuff to give away and I never photographed any of it.  

wish i would have photographed by early stuff, rough though it was.  every-so-
often i run into one the old pieces and if possible get a picture for the house 
archives.  nothing pleases me more than to see stuff from when i started in 
craft things 20-25 years back still being worn by the people they were gifted 
to..

> old documentation, notes about things you tried and how they worked out (or
> didn't) and so forth.  In some arts a book like this is crucial -- for 
> instance, brewing or dyeing, where you want to be able to reproduce your 
> results later.  

and it helps to prevent one from making the same mistakes too often.  of the 
items listed, add bibliographies, book reviews, vendor lists, supply sources, 
URL's, online notes (lot's of good craft stuff flows past in the relevent 
newsgroups), tool lists (mine keeps growning .... and my living space keeps 
shrinking)

'wolf

... When we hunt, we all function with one mind
... - Boingo, Pedestrian Wolves
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