On April 11th, 2020, the Barony of Rhydderich Hael will host the Æthelmearc Arts & Sciences Faire. This will be a day to celebrate the artisans of Sylvan Æthelmearc. We will have room for all who choose to do so to display their works.
The Arts & Sciences Faire and Queen’s Prize Tourney is not a competition. Assessors provide feedback and critique, but there is no score; feedback is designed to be qualitative, not quantitative. The Faire is an opportunity for up and coming artisans to show their work and be interviewed by more experienced artisans, and is also an opportunity for more experienced artisans to gain meaningful feedback about their projects. To show her appreciation to the artisans entering the Faire, Her Royal Majesty will honor her favorite entry with the Queen’s Prize.
Each entrant must be sponsored by a Laurel or Fleur (or the equivalent to the Fleur from another kingdom), who should provide meaningful mentorship to the entrant. This can take many forms, and is dependent on the entrant and their sponsor. Some entrants seek a mentor who is much more engaged, with regular check-ins leading up to the Faire. Some entrants may not feel the need for in-depth engagement. This should be discussed before a sponsor/entrant agree on the sponsorship. If an artisan wishes to enter but does not know of a sponsor to approach, we are glad to help match them up; likewise, if anyone would like to be a sponsor and is seeking an artisan(s), we will work to pair folks together. Each sponsor is asked to bring a gift for each entrant they sponsor, so that each entrant receives a prize.
The format of the Faire is similar to that for the Kingdom Arts & Sciences Championship; entrants are allowed up to three items which should show a cohesive body of work. Entrants will have two groups of reviewers, scheduled for one hour each, who will ask questions about the item(s), documentation, the research process, etc. After each review session, the entrant will receive feedback forms from each reviewer. Feedback is not limited to, but should include meaningful information about the item(s) entered, documentation, possible resources to pursue, etc. Entrants will be given their review schedule in the morning, but should be prepared to sit with their display throughout the day. Written documentation is encouraged, but not required. To facilitate multiple advisors per review session, we ask that entrants bring three copies of their documentation.
Youth artisans are highly encouraged to enter the Faire! The comment sheets for youth entrants will be different from those for adult entrants, designed with their age group in mind. Obviously, we would not expect a 5-year-old entrant to provide documentation equivalent to that of a 13-year-old or to that of an adult artisan. We also understand that there is usually parental help and guidance through the art process, which is a great way to help mentor a budding artisan! Ideally, a youth entrant should be able to express how much of the project they did alone and how much they had help with, what the project is, how it works, and what they believe they learned throughout the process.
We will need advisors for a successful Faire. Advisors must be Fleurs or Laurels and are expected to spend the better part of the day in face-to-face advising of the entrants. You can sign up to be an advisor at the Arts & Science Faire. In order to prepare for the day and match advisors with entrants, we ask that entrants preregister. Likewise, we ask sponsors to sign up via our form.
Feel free to approach us with any questions you may have by email to ae.ans@aethelmearc.org or by finding us at your favorite event. We will be hosting A&S consultation tables at many future events throughout the Kingdom and look forward to seeing you there.
We hope to see many of you at the Arts & Sciences Faire!
In service,
Hrólfr and Elska, Kingdom Ministers of Arts & Sciences