NorthStar Arts and SciencesArts and Sciences -- ARTS AND
SCIENCES FAIRE What is Arts and Sciences Faire? This is not a competition between people, but a challenge of one person against themselves, with the criteria as a guideline. Its major focus is documentation, not necessarily the skill it takes to make the item. You need not ever enter A&S Faire to become a Laurel. Many people who become Laurels have never entered A&S Faire, but doing well in the Faire will show others that you know not only how to make something, and do it well, but how it was made, and how you thought through what you did. A&S Faire is not for everyone, but many people do enjoy it, and once you understand how and why it works, it may serve a purpose for you too. What's documentation? Documentation is basically putting together the answers to a set of questions (criteria). Sit down and read the criteria for your piece of work. It not a Master's thesis, it is probably not more complicated than a high school research paper, you remember, footnotes, bibliography, etc. Documentation is also the first thing the criteria asks for. While on its own, documentation is only 4 points of the score, but it is what supports the other 26 points. It is what explains what you made, how you made it, why you did what you did, what worked and what didn't. It also gives the history of whatever you made. If done right you could hand in a pile of sawdust, with good documentation, and still score fairly well. Minimal information in documentation is time, place and style of what you did. You then support this information with primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. The close you get to using primary sources the higher the score. The answers that it is looking for are what is it, where was it originally found/used, how was it made, how did you make it, what were the differences and reasons you did what you did. Other things you might want to say is how long it took to make it (or its parts), what you learned, what worked and what didn't. Primary Sources are actual period
pieces, artifacts in museums, and we except painting, statuary, and illuminations, but
realizing that they may not be completely accurate. Authenticity This is where you answer how "period" it is in how it was made, what it was made of, what was used to make it, and why. The judges will assume that you used modern tools and materials unless told differently. You may not lose points if you explain why you did something differently than how it was done in period. No points would be something completely modern in construction and materials, and 4 points for totally authentic materials and methods. Scope This is what you were trying to do, not how well you succeeded (remember the sawdust?) Here you explain what you were trying to do, what you did, what worked, what didn't, and what you learned from your triumphs and mistakes. Skill This is where how well you did, not what you were trying to do. This is were neatness and skill fit in, rather than grandiose ideas. Do the object function as its suppose to? Creativity Here is where explaining what you were thinking and trying to do will help. Explain what went wrong, what worked, and why you did what you did. Judge's Observations This use to be called the "WOW" factor, and is the most subjective. What a the Craftperson Faire? This is a display open to anyone. All that is required is a small form with the entrant's name, address, and a description of the entry. This is the place for cooler covers, and SCA only items. Middle Kingdom Craftperson's Faire is held at Fall Crown Tourney. What a the Authentic Artifact Showcase? This is a display of reproductions of period artifacts. All that is requires is a small form with the entrant's name, address, a description of the entry, and when possible a photo of the original item. Also some documentation on the construction used and the works consulted. The Middle Kingdom holds its Authentic Artifact Showcase at Kingdom Twelfth Night. What we have done Besides face-to-face judging, and open judging, we have had Populous, Peers, and Royalty choice winners, and the group with the highest average score becomes the Northern Lights for the year. Future thoughts Besides the regular Pentathlon, we were thinking of other multi-area combinations such as one object, cross entered in multiple different areas, or a theme/pcrsonna pentathlon where multiple entries fit together for one person or time. Return to A&S HomepageLast Updated:
Tuesday, May 22, 2007 |