[Bards] So let's quit sitting on the sidelines and getdancingalready

[Michael Silverhands]

On Nov 5, 2006, at 4:02 PM, Jay Rudin wrote:

> Michael Silverhands wrote:
>
>> I put this to you: we now, at this moment, have a college of
>> Ansteorran bards. Every bard in Ansteorra who will go out there and
>> encourage the bardic arts is a member. We already have our officers:
>> the Premier Bard, and the Deputy KMoAS (Bardic). We already have our
>> newsletter (this elist, and the web site at <http://
>> bard.ansteorra.org/>).
>
> I've said this before, and it won't change.  The Deputy KMOAS is  
> *not* our
> oficer, and we cannot assign him (or her) to the college.  He (or  
> she) is
> the corporation's officer.  We have no authority to assign him or her
> duties.  Note that the statement above implies that people with no  
> interest
> in the college are ineligible to be the Deputy KMOAS, which we have  
> no right
> to assert.  Also note that by forcing this officer to be an active  
> member of
> the college, all the pretty statements about "No member of the  
> College, to
> include officers, shall have the right to A.) Determine membership  
> in the
> College B.) impose standards of performance ..." have already been  
> violated,
> since we have already imposed memebership requirements and the  
> performance
> of certain duties to this kingdom officer.
>
> Secondly, we can no more assign duties to the Premier Bard than a
> self-selected portion of the populace of the Steppes can assign  
> duties to
> the Steppes Warlord.
>
> If we want officers that we can assign duties to, we will have to  
> do the
> work of choosing them ourselves.  We cannot piggyback our duties  
> onto the
> kingdom's officer.
>
> Robin of Gilwell / Jay Rudin
>

First, I let the "not our officer" argument (from a previous thread)  
go without comment, but I won't this time. By "our", I meant "us,  
those who play in the SCA in Ansteorra". They are most assuredly  
"our" officer, as much as the Kingdom Seneschal is "our" officer and  
the Crown is "our" King and Queen.

Second, I believe that we need an advocate on the "business" side.  
Someone to help, for instance, see that Eisteddfod gets on the  
calendar and has a hosting group. If not the Minister of Arts &  
Sciences, or her deputy for Performance Arts, then... who? And if not  
them, then what the Sam Hill *do* they do for us? Sounds like  
"nothing", in your book. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it  
sounds like you want to pretend that the entire infrastructure of the  
SCA does not exist as far as we're concerned, and that you advocate  
constructing a *completely* separate venue for the pursuit of the  
bardic arts -- oh, other than sharing their event and camping space.

I'm pretty sure that the KMOaS *has*, de facto, quite a bit of  
interest in the bardic arts in Ansteorra, and therefore in those who  
support and pursue those arts (i.e. the bards of Ansteorra, i.e. this  
bardic college we're discussing). It goes with the job (or ought to,  
in my opinion). So what if the current KMOaS isn't all that  
interested in blackwork, for example? Will the KMOaS go out of her  
way to suppress it? Or might a reasonable person presume that the  
KMOaS would support an Ansteorran Blackwork Guild, if one existed, to  
the extent that they asked for her support?

Third, likewise with regard to the Kingdom Premier Bard. *Someone*  
needs to be our spokesperson and ambassador to the rest of the  
kingdom. And the bardic community needs a focal point, someone to  
rally around. You and Willow convinced me of that, and I agree. The  
Premier Bard "of old" (that you and Willow described) sounded like  
just that person. So why would you object to them being the  
spokesperson and ambassador for the College? For that matter... if  
not them, then who? And if we appoint someone else to that duty, then  
what the heck is the Premier Bard -- chopped liver? Just another  
tourney-winner, with no significance beyond the title? Sorry, but I  
just don't understand this point.

When Stargate hosts their baronial championship tournaments, the  
Baron/ess tell the entrants before the contest that the winner will  
be expected to help plan and set the style of the following year's  
tournament. It's a duty that goes with the title -- whether  
chivalric, rapier, equestrian, children's, A&S, archery or bardic.  
Does not the same duty fall to the Kingdom Bard already? What  
additional "duties" did I write down in my rough draft, that do not  
already fall to them? To be clear, Robin, I wasn't trying to imagine  
new duties; I was trying to accurately enumerate the already existing  
duties, and those that would logically follow the creation of a  
College of Bards.

Finally, I *don't* want to construct a big roster of officers. I  
stand firmly with Finnacan on this point: we need someone to take  
care of the business side, and we need someone to be an advocate for  
the role-play side. There are already two people who perfectly fit  
those roles, in my opinion. Why do we need to construct a roster  
separate from that?

Kind regards,
Michael