MoAS Office Local Shout-outs

The MoAS office receives reports two times a year from local A&S ministers. Below are some highlights from the wonderful projects and interesting work found in those reports recieved in Winter of 2020.

Northern Region: Deputy=THL Amalie von Hohensee

This is a shout-out for the shire of Panther Vale and it’s Cooking Challenges

“When the going gets tough, the tough get…cooking! In an effort to encourage the good folk of the Shire of Panther Vale to cook up some fun, Aurelia Colleoni a’Buccafurno has been putting together monthly cooking challenges for the populace. Each month, Aurelia presents a specific topic for a cooking challenge, which is then followed by a monthly Zoom meeting for the cooks to discuss their findings, share recipes, and see what others have created. The recipes can be medieval or modern – whatever inspires folks to get to the kitchen!”
“December’s topic of meat pies was particularly popular, and all manner of pies, from beef to pork to chicken, were cooked up by the eager populace. January will focus on citrus, which has already yielded some tantalizing sweet and sour creations, such as orange chicken to candied lemon peels.”

Information courtesy of Alienor Hathaway, MoAS for the Shire of Panther Vale

Central Region: Deputy= THL Arabella De Mere

This is a shout-out for the EK Regional Metal and Glass Collaborative for their “Sparkly and Shiny” online A&S programing

“For all of us during this pandemic, not being able to expand many of our horizons was an especially hard pill to swallow. Many willing gentles, some who have never taught in such a capacity, came to the forefront during this time, hosting classes to keep the rest of us educated and entertained.”

“Sparkly and Shiny was conceived to bring the oft-sidelined metal and glass arts to the masses at large in a fun and non-intimidating format. The purpose of the event was for artisans in these arts to teach their craft to beginners so that they can accomplish these new-to-them skills from the comfort of their homes. “

“Our inaugural Sparkly and Shiny, co-sponsored by the Barony of Smoking Rocks, drew teachers and spectators from around the Known World, covering subjects from forging Silver to setting up a glass bead home studio. There were also live feeds from three locations; the studio of THL Roibeard mac Neill in the Shire of Quintavia where he and event Co- Steward Ld. Ubba of Smoking Rocks hosted and the Lady Kira administered and controlled the entire event, The Baronial homestead of Baron Fergus Redmead where he and Lord Faelan MacLachlainn forged and cast a variety of projects, and the home of THL Sigvardr Halfdanarson where he forged silver from his smithy. People “attended” for two days of classes and live demos. As an inaugural event it was a wondrous success. Now, it looks towards its second installment.”

Sparkly and Shiny Goes to Birka will take place February 13-14 and is being co-sponsored by the Barony of Stonemarche. This second installment will, following Birka tradition, feature several artisans that not only teach but also sell their wondrous handmade pieces, as well as other teachers from around the Known World providing their knowledge to spectators throughout the Known World. It will be bigger than the previous installment, providing space for more teachers. It will also open its airwaves to Birka merchants to allow for short marketing blurbs featuring their merchant and product information.

Teaching space is limited! If you would like to teach a Metal or Glass arts class geared towards the beginner or intermediate artisan with an emphasis on small shop/home space use, e-mail us at SparklyandShinyEK@gmail.com.

*Information courtesy of Roibeard mac Neill

Southern Region: Deputy THL Ibrahim al-Rashid)

“ZOOM dance practices during the pandemic:” Shire of Hartshorn-Dale

The Shire of Hartshorn-Dale has long had regular weekly dance practices, and while dancing over Zoom is not the same, it’s proven to be a reasonable (and safe) alternative. Some dances have proven themselves well adapted to being danced as a single person or single couple, such as Black Alman, Green Gynger, and many of the three-couple dances. We’ve even managed some of the more complicated ones, and when you’re dancing by yourself you can’t really break the dance when you make a mistake! (Or when you decide to dance all the roles because you’ve been sitting at a computer all day, and find yourself dancing both the leader & follower parts of Rostiboli.)

While we mostly dance our well-known favorites, we have worked on some new or less familiar dances. It’s been a lovely way to visit with each other, practice dances, and get some light exercise — just as we would in person.

—-Write up courtesy of Sara le Payller

If you have any questions about Hartshorn-dale’s dance practice, please get in touch with their MoAS officer at: MOAS@hartshorn-dale.eastkingdom.org

December 22, 2020

Scheduled Online A&S Webinars

Tuesday, May 4: The Art of Wordsmithing, 7:00 pm EDT. Instructor: Tiarna Sean Dubh. Do you want help with scrolls, but drawing a straight line is a challenge? Looking to compose words to inscribe yourself? Come and join Tiarna Sean Dubh for a lesson on wordsmithing, that magical craft that provides words of inspiration long after court has ended.

Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84904023485?pwd=RXFXM2x0UlZsRDQvc1pGbXdDREtNdz09

If you would like to teach a class or learn more about teaching online, please e-mail: moas.education@eastkingdom.org

To view recordings of past online classes hosted by the MoAS office, please visit the Arts & Sciences playlist on the EK YouTube page.

For more SCA related educatonal content, you can also visit the SCA Wide Virtual Classroom and Artisan Display Facebook group.

November 27, 2020

Question for the A&S Office: ” Can Laurels enter Crown’s A&S Championships?”

The short answer is YES. However, in other ways this can be a complicated question that can be approached from a few different angles. I’ve included two quotes below summarizing the questions I have heard people ask about this topic, along with a response to each question.

“I’ve heard that Laurels are not supposed to enter because they already received accolades in their art and now it’s time to let others shine.”

Crown’s A&S Championships (like all Kingdom champions events), is a “high-level competition where the focus is on picking the kingdom arts and sciences champions.” So, to answer this question, I want to first make a comparison. Knights and MoDs compete in their kingdom championship events. So why shouldn’t Laurels compete in Crowns A&S?

First, a Companion of the Order of the Laurel is presumed to have “attained the standard of excellence” in their artistic field, just like martial peers are expected to have attained excellence in their fields, so not having Laurels enter Crowns A&S would mean that our artisans may not be competing against the best in the kingdom. The East has some of the best artisans in the Known World, and our A&S Championship deserves to be a competition among the best of the best. Going further, as in martial activities, competing against a peer who as attained that standard of excellence gives artisans an opportunity to show off their skill and acomplishments.

Now, It is true that it is a Laurel’s job to look out for other artisans, to promote them and help them shine, but our Laurels are also still artisans in their own right and may benefit from the external motivation and pressures that a competition presents. Perhaps a Laurel has never competed in a Crowns A&S Competition before, and wants to try something new. It is important for every artisan to find new ways to keep challenging themselves as they grown in experience with their craft.
Going further along this line, just because someone has been elevated to the Laurel, does not mean that they posess the skills to do well in a competition like Crowns A&S. The qualities that are looked for in a Companion of the order of the Laurel are different (if overlaping) from that required of a high level competition entran. Also, a new project may often be just as hard for a laurel as for someone who is not a laurel,especially if they are experimenting with a new art, so the playing field is not as uneven as it may seem.
Finally, entering a competition would mean that other artisans would have the opportunity to see this Laurel’s work and talk to them about it, a process which enriches and teaches everyone.

“I’ve heard that Laurels are not supposed to enter because they are needed to judge the competition.”

It is not currently an expectation that all Laurels will help judge the Crowns A&S competition.

Judging competitions is hard, and not everyone may be suited for the job. Some Laurels may also have had bad experiences judging competitions in the past (just like some artisans may have had negative experiences entering), and this would naturally further increase their reluctance to judge. While the MoAS office is trying to help train judges and provide structures to make the process easier, some Laurels may not want to give judging another try. And that is ok.
Furthermore, the potential judging pool for Crowns A&S champions is currently much wider than just members of the Order of the Laurel. Because we have undertaken to provide training materials for judges and create a more standardized rubric for the kingdom competition, we can now much more easily have some judges that are not “experts in their field” help with the judging process. This means that you do not have to have a specific A&S award to judge or shadow judge. The MoAS office will work with artisans on an individual basis to help determine their level of familiarity with the rubric and judging process. It is important to remember that the skills that makes a good judge may not necessarily be the same skills that make a great Laurel. Judging is very much a learned skill, and while the qualities of a good judge sometimes overlap with those of a Laurel, they don’t overlap all the time.

Now, this does not mean that we don’t need any expert judges, we very much do. Once registration ends, the MoAS office will be reaching out to relevant experts for their assistance. Its just that every judge doesn’t need to be a specialist to do a reasonable job.
If you are interested in helping to judge the Crowns A&S Competition more information and a form to fill out can be found at this link: https://moas.eastkingdom.org/…/crow…/judge-registration/

Also, as a reminder, registration to display or enter Crown’s A&S is due by Dec. 13th. More information can be found here: https://moas.eastkingdom.org/display…/crowns-as-champions/

Thank you,-Lissamoas@eastkingdom.org

November 22, 2020

On Merchants & Peerages

Greetings to the Kingdom from your MoAS!

Below are a series of Q&A’s discussing a topic that I have seen come up in a discussion recently. That topic has to do with the place of merchants in our peerage orders. I would like to offer my thoughts on this topic, in the hope that it may help clarify some issues, and spark a useful discussion in other ways. My thoughts will primarily focus on A&S related pursuits, since that is my area of focus at the moment, but I invite others to widen the conversation in constructive ways.

-Lissa (moas@eastkingdom.org)

—–

“I’ve heard people state that merchants cannot be made peers. Is that true?”

Is it true that people have made this kind of claim? Yes, they have. People say lots of things, but, remember, just because someone says something doesn’t mean it is true. And, in this case it is absolutely not true. Merchants can be made peers.

Have I overheard people claim this myself?

I have. Both merchants and non-merchants alike have told me that they have heard people claim that merchants cannot be made peers. When I hear comments like this, I do my best to correct them. I also encourage others to correct people making these claims. It helps if everyone works together to stop spreading these false ideas.

Can merchants become members of the order of the Laurel?

Now, in regards to the Order of the Laurel, these claims seem to be based on the fact that merchant make a profit on what they sell and teach. The claim may include that merchants’ contributions are devalued or are considered not as worthy of recognition when compared to those who teach and give away their art entirely for free. This is not correct, and it is also a fundamental misunderstanding of the Order of the Laurel. Candidates are considered based on the quality of their artistic work and research, not on the profit they may or may not make from their work.

However, it is important to remember that our polling orders are not monoliths. Each individual in an Order can only speak for themselves, not for the entire order. It may be true that an individual has a prejudice against selling products and research for a profit. This could be their personal opinion, and they can have an opinion, even if I would argue that their opinion is against all stated and traditional understandings of the Order. It may also be true that this bias was more pronounced or felt at different times or in different communities. Experiences with this claim, much like many of the pervasive and inaccurate rumors that spread throughout the SCA, depend much on the population.

Here is something that also may be happening in some cases. It is possible that a Laurel may talk about how “the path to a Laurel may be harder for merchants in some ways.” Then, what is heard by the listener is “merchants can’t ever be Laurels.” That then becomes “a Laurel told me that merchants can’t be made peers.” So, while no one intends hurt feelings, the miscommunication still ends up causing pain or frustration.

This leads us to another question.

It is true that there are factors that may make it harder for a merchant to be recognized?

Yes, this is absolutely true. Many of these factors are similar in nature, if different in substance, to the ones that impact other people who play our game. It takes time to do art, to experiment, to learn new techniques, to engage in deep historical research, and to participate in the A&S community. If someone is making a living, or making even part of their income selling items at SCA events, they will have substantially less time to engage in other SCA activities. A merchant who spends each event at their shop likely cannot participate in A&S activities in the same way that others are able to participate, and these issues are often not easily overcome or solved. This is not just for A&S activities. This limit to time and availability and community building can happen in service endeavors and marshal activities, too.

Merchants may also encounter issues specific to A&S recognition. The focus of SCA A&S polling Order awards is very much around the idea of making an item as historically accurate as possible. If a person is focused on making income as a merchant, depending on what they sell, they may need to make their stock using materials and techniques that are more modern than historically focused. This is completely legitimate. Items made using historical materials and techniques will be much pricier, and thus out of the reach of many more people, than materials made with modern conveniences and shortcuts. It becomes then important for merchants and the broader community, to keep in mind the difference between what has been made “for sale” and what has been made “for A&S purposes”.

Are there things that merchants can do to help connect themselves to the A&S community?

There are indeed things that merchants (and anyone) in the SCA, who is looking to get more attention for their arts and sciences, can do. Thinking about ways to respectfully show off one’s work is not at all a bad thing, and in fact, I would argue, it is something that should be encouraged. Merchants can share custom historically researched work that they are proud of. Even once something is given to a client, photographs can be taken and posted to websites, shared on social media, and some documentation & research shared along with those photographs. While many members of polling orders are often on the lookout for upcoming artists, sometimes we may need an individual person brought to our attention, so please never be afraid to show off your work, or to tell us about someone you think we may have overlooked. Our peers and order members cannot be everywhere and see everything all of the time.

A merchant, if they have time, can also decide to make an item specifically for an A&S competition. They can take a deep dive into the research and creation of an item, working to make it as historically accurate as possible. Then they can enter that item, and show it off to the judges and the A&S community at large.

A merchant, as time allows, can also teach. While they may not be able to give away all of their specialized knowledge, or while they may have to primarily teach for a profit to earn their living, they can still very much share at least some of what they know. They can occasionally provide hands on instruction to others about the beginnings of their craft, or, they can teach a lecture based class (or write an article on a blog or website) that provides an overview of the cultural context of their art.

Finally, as we are talking about polling orders, it is important to remind everyone that order confidentiality is a very real thing, and that it is something that we hope all order members take seriously. It is always possible that a person you believe has been overlooked has actually been considered and discussed on a polling list. However, because these discussions are seen as confidential, an unfortunate byproduct of our system is that this may lead to people feeling overlooked, and the orders are often not good as a whole at translating these discussions back to people. This is an issue that I have heard members of our A&S polling orders discuss before, and something that I hope we continue to discuss.

Are there ways that the A&S community can help merchants? Part of the job of order members and peers is to be on the lookout for up and coming artisans, so we all need to remember to write people in for awards, and we may need to pay special attention to our merchants lest they get overlooked. There are also other ways of recognizing people that are equally as important. Giving out tokens lets people know they are seen and appreciated, giving them word fame helps spread knowledge about exceptional artisan around the community. Merchants, specifically those that work hard to create historically accurate objects, and who are knowledgeable about their craft and its connection to history, are part of our dream. While they may make their living off of their craft, they have not chosen to be a merchant because doing it will make them rich. They became a merchant for the same reason that we all engage in A&S activities, because they love their art.

August 13, 2020

MoAS Office Regional Shout-out Announcements

July 21, 2020: Central Region

Greetings! The MoAS office would like to continue to share news of notable A&S activities mentioned in our summer MoAS reports.

Today, with my Central Region A&S deputy, THL Arabella De Mere, we would like to acknowledge the work of Baroness Johanna Dudley as the MoAS for the Canton of the Towers, in the Barony of Carolingia.
Baroness Johanna Dudley, has been doing an amazing job as the MoAS for the Canton of the Towers. Her Canton has held well attended monthly A&S gatherings, in person, and now online! Just look at the monthly breakdown of classes! There is something for everyone!

January: Annual in-garb 12th Night celebration
February: two topics–Kitchen dyes with Creiddylad the Wanderer (Emengar), chain-mail with Cristoff Gockerhan von Loch
March: Carving stamps and block printing on fabric with Serafina Della Torre
April: Garb for beginners with Anne Forneau
May: Intro to inkle loom weaving with Katla of Viborg. Also notable is the fact that Peter the Red made a dozen inkle looms and shuttles at cost for participants!

The quarantine, while putting a damper on in-person group learning, has really opened up the avenues for online classes! Many Towers people are teaching online A&S classes in various venues outside of the Canton, for example: Timothy of Sherwood taught a virtual archery class, and Peter taught a virtual intro to archery class, and another called “Putting on Arrow Heads.” Nastassiia Ivanova Medvedeva (Tasha) also taught 2 virtual Norse-related sewing topics for the 24-hour Viking Schola.

Beyond teaching, learning by taking online classes has been a popular way to get that creative fix! Lots of people in Canton are attending virtual A&S classes and watching how-to videos. Baroness Johanna has been sharing more than the usual number of posts about classes in other SCA venues that people might be interested in attending or teaching, such as East Kingdom, other kingdoms, Pennsic and Bog virtual universities. She also shared some links to medieval music performances and other misc. links that have been well-received.

But that’s not all that’s happening in this local group! People are working on lots of personal garb and weaving projects, as well as woodworking and cooking and gardening. Informal crafting evenings have also moved their efforts online.

***

JULY 14th, 2020: Southern Region

Greetings! The MoAS office would like to continue to share news of notable A&S activities mentioned in our summer MoAS reports. Today, with my Southern Region A&S deputy, THL Ibrahim al-Rashid, we would like to acknowledge the work of Mistress Elizabeth Talbot as Settmour Swamp’s A&S minister.

When in-person A&S meetings were no longer possible, she stepped up and worked to set up online A&S meetings for the Barony. These well-attended virtual meetings have contributed to the Barony’s sense of community, even while many in person Events were cancelled. People brought their projects to work on and newer people were able to receive advice and guidance from more experienced members. And everyone was able to connect with their SCA ‘family’. In addition to more open-ended meetings, Mistress Elizabeth is also planning a series of sessions for people to focus on specific projects.

The Arts and Sciences of the Society are indeed thriving in Settmour Swamp! One piece of advice that Mistress Elizabeth had for other groups looking to startup their own virtual meetings was to have one or two tech-savvy people presentfor each one. These folks can help those less familiar with the onlinemeeting technology.

One final note, the participation of the Baronial seat in activities such as these also has the potential to greatly increase their success, and the MoAS office has heard great things about the support that the Baron and Baroness of Settmour Swamp have provided their group. Thank you to Jonathan Miles and Theresa Ana Perez for your support of A&S.

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JUNE 29th, 2020: Northern Region

Greetings to the People of the East!

The MoAS office would like to continue to share news of notable A&S activities mentioned in our summer MoAS reports.

Today, with my Northern Region A&S deputy, THL Amalie von Hohensee, I would like to call attention to two individual artisans from the Barony of Endewearde who have been engaging in some very interesting and inspiring A&S work over the past several months. It brings me joy to read about projects like these, and I hope it will likewise bring some joy into your monday afternoon.

HL Lijsbet van Catwiic: Lijsbet and her husband, Lord Thomas de Marr, put theory into practice with a unique little experiment during their lockdown time. Lijsbet decided to participate in the Pigrilm’s Progress Challenge, a fun initiative developed by the Agincourt Soldier intended to simulate the 67 miles walked in Canterbury Tales. However, Lijsbet added a fun twist – to do as much of it as possible in garb. To add to the challenge and authenticity of the project, she also made her own turnshoes, as she wanted to learn what a long journey would have felt like without modern footwear.Lijsbet commented that, “Walking in turnshoes is a bit different from walking in modern shoes. First, you can feeleverything you step on. Second, for that reason the best way to walk is toe to heel instead of the modern heel to toe step. Judging by the amount of wear on the soles in the heel region at the end of the challenge I wasn’t entirely successful with that. Of the 69 total miles we walked 37 of those were done while wearing the turnshoes and my feet were honestly more comfortable for those 37 miles than any of the rest.”

THL Seamus na Coille Aosda: Lord Seamus has begun work on crafting an Irish log boat from a green maple log. His mundane interest in canoeing combined with his 10th century Irish persona and interest in woodworking inspired him to take on this unique, large-scale project. Seamus is currently working on shaping the outside of the boat’s hull. After determining the hull’s desired depth, Seamus will begin on the interior of the boat soon.

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June 25th, 2020: Tir Mara

Greetings to the Kingdom!

As Kingdon Minister of Arts and Sciences, my regional deputies and I receive reports two times a year from local A&S ministers. It is my intention and desire to begin highlighting some of the wonderful projects and interesting work done by both local groups and individuals from the populace.For my first post, Mistress Alisay, the Tir Mara MoAS Regional Deputy, and I wish to give a shout out to two individuals from the Barony of Runtallan. They are:Lord Oswald of Runtallan & Lady Esperanza de Cordo

When the pandemic started, these individuals set up a Discord Server for their local group to be used for A&S classes, group chats, and other activities.The type and variety of classes held by the group using their Discord Server is wonderful and exciting! Among the classes that their MoAS report notes were hosted by the group, are : Olde English 101, Brewing 101, Herbal Remedies, Fabris 101, Bocksten bog man clothes, Rapier styles 101, Armoring basics, Virtual Bardic Campfire, Making and Drafting Patterns for Garb, & Creating a Blackwork Pin Cushion.Also of note, Lady Esperanza de Cordoba has introduced a project on Facebook where members of the local group write letters in their persona to each other. I am happy to recognize Lord Oswald and Lady Esperanza for how they have continued to promote the dream and find ways for their populace to participate in SCA activities from their homes.

July 11, 2020