[Sca-cooks] A & S question

[Robin Carroll-Mann]

On 6 Aug 2003, at 17:24, jenne at fiedlerfamily.net wrote:

> I am also about to get myself in real trouble. Fasten your hats down,
> everybunny.
> 
> I'm in a special situation: my main area of interest, herbs, didn't have a
> lot of serious A&S people doing it when I started. With 10 years of
> studying herbs and herbgrowing and history and so forth under my belt, I
> found myself a woman with a mission... show people how herbs were part of
> medieval life.
> 
> There are many ways to have your work seen. Displays, classes,
> exhibitions, and competitions all work to one degree or another. If you
> want high-powered A&S people to see your stuff and interact with you about
> it, in my kingdom, you probably want to do exhibitions and/or
> competitions. 

I'm not a great fan of competitions.  The last time I entered one, it was at Ice 
Dragon, in the Principality of Aethelmarc. :-)

It is possible to have your stuff noticed by entering exhibitions alone.  It 
helps, of course, if those exhibitions are at Kingdom events.  At any rate, I 
seem to have been visible enough -- without entering competitions -- to be 
given a Manche.  (For you non-Easterners: Manche=EK award for the arts.)  
Maybe I'm the exception that proves the rule.  I don't know.  I do know that 
one Manche told me afterwards that he/she voted for me based on the 
quality of my documentation at one of the exhibitions.

I have also observed on the Manche polling list (and I don't think I'm spilling 
any dark secrets) that many people will remark of a candidate, "I'm not 
familiar with his/her work.  Where can I see it?"  Most don't seem to care if a 
candidate enters competitions, per se.

Other ways to be seen include teaching classes and workshops; putting 
your work (or at least pictures and documentation) on a website; and writing 
articles for SCA publications.
  
> > I STR that was two or three years ago, also in the Barony of An
> > Dubhaigeainn. I also think that one was slightly smaller than some of
> > the ones that were done elsewhere, but that may also have been the
> > way the site was laid out, with the exhibition spread out across
> > several smaller rooms, instead of being in a huge hall. There may
> > have been a comparable number of exhibitions... but again, artisans
> > had the option of staying with their work to solicit comments or just
> > answer questions, and even worked on the projects right there in the
> > open. Most of the people who prefer that format to a competition have
> > commented on the friendliness of the format, whereas they had
> > concerns about hurt feelings, rude judges, and who knows what else,
> > in a competition format. Rightly or wrongly, it's a common perception.

I find competitions very stressful.  Having my work judged in in formal, score-
keeping situation does bad things to my blood pressure.  I know that other 
people find competitions enjoyable, and a spur to do better work.
 
> I love exhibitions. I find them fun. But then I lure people to my table
> with food.

What a sneaky, underhanded approach.  :-)

Oh, and I just realized that I *have* entered one other competition.  A few 
years ago, my baroness encouraged all the local artisans to participate in 
the Pennsic A&S competition.  So I embroidered a handkerchief, and 
entered it for the honor of my barony.

I hope I'm not sounding obnoxiously boastful and complacent.  I just wanted 
to share what my experience has been in A&S in the East.  (Results may 
vary.  Not valid where prohibited by law.  Contents sold by weight.  This end 
up.)


Brighid ni Chiarain *** mka Robin Carroll-Mann
Barony of Settmour Swamp, East Kingdom
rcmann4 at earthlink.net