NorthStar Arts and SciencesArts and Sciences -- Entering and
Judging What it is: What it is not: Arts and Sciences Faire, not to be confused with the Authenticity Faire and the Craftsperson's Faire, is placing yourself and your project against a set of criteria. While, if you look at the criteria, documentation seems to be only 4 points out of 30, it is actually the foundation that supports all the other parts of your entry. Yet it seems to be the part that most people the least amount of effort into. By looking at the criteria, and answering the questions it asks, your documentation should support your entry. Authenticity: (0-4) How was this piece made, what was it made of, and how does this relate to how it was done in period. This is where you say how you made it, what it is made from, how it would have been done in period, and how and why you did it differently. Scope: (0-6) This is what you were trying to do, how you tried to do it, and your successes and failures. What went right, what went wrong, and what you learned. Why you did things like you did. Skill: (0-6) This is where the object itself comes into the picture. How well it is made, how it looks, and if it became what you said you were trying to make under scope. Creativity: (0-4) The "C" in SCA. Here what the criteria is asking is what were you thinking? How did you fix problems? Is what you made an exact replica of a period item, or did you take logical bits and pieces and interpolate them. Judge's Observations: This is totally subjective, and the entrant has no real control over how this goes. Here the judges scores what they think of the entire piece, sometimes if they liked it or not, as an individual item, or as a type. What documentation is and is not. This is neither your persona story, nor your PH.D. thesis. Keep it short, while answering all the questions. Your persona has nothing to do with anything, so keep it out of your documentation. You also need to support the what and why of your entry with sources, references, and where possible pictures. If you refer to something, either a period object, or written source, let the judge know with a quote or picture. You may luck out (or lose out) with a judge that knows enough about your particular area that when you say "as seen in the at " they know exactly what you are talking about. Don't count on it! Also remember when you use a picture or a quote, to site your source. Thus remember, you need a bibliography! Or really good pictures that you took of actual items at museums, or your friends homes. This is where the teaching part comes in. The judge probably would like to know all that you know about the item for themselves. Share! You make three copies of the documentation, so that your judge (or I) can take home a copy and use it in the future. Thesis where judging becomes really fun. Getting to find sources that you've never seen or heard of, and learning more about something. Face to face judging helps in that if you forget something, or have a judge/entrant that is just as interested as you in your current passion, you can talk at length, and share what you know. Documentation is the only part of an A&S entry that can be changed between regionals/Principality, and Kingdom. In fact you could totally rewrite your documentation if you wished, add the source given by the judges, and all you learned between the Faires. Return to A&S HomepageLast Updated:
Tuesday, May 22, 2007 |