Spring Crown A.S. 60 – A&S Competition Results

While Spring Crown Tournament was being fought, early this month (September) in Stormhold, a Kingdom Arts and Sciences competition was also held; this was the second round for the Championship of A.S. LX. As you are all doubtless aware, things did not proceed according to plan, and the results for the A&S have been delayed while this was rectified.

I am delighted to finally bring you news of the competition, and of the items which have been submitted for re-appraisal. I have received fourteen entries, which is certainly most of what was presented on the day. I appreciate all these people re-submitting their work – tedious, but there was no better way.

There are seven Experienced entries, four Intermediate level, and three Beginners. Dividing by theme, three entries are for ‘Food Storage’, seven for ‘Linen’ and three for ‘On Squares and Commons’, with the final entry striving to cover all three themes in one.

My thanks and appreciation go out to all the judges at the event, who graciously dedicated many hours of time and effort to examining the entries and providing thoughtful feedback.

The judges for this round of the Championship were:

Lady Ysabel Norrice
Magnifica Ginevra Lucia di Namoraza
Lord Angus Galloway
Mistress Clara Bone-Aventure
Count Jayne Hunter

Three cheers for all the magnificent judges!

Owing to the fact that Mother Nature took command before the results could be finalised, I have re-appraised all the entries submitted to me. There is no major change from what was decided at the event, but as no announcements were able to be made at the time, here is the official notification:

In the Experienced Category, the gold bell goes to THL Melissa Wijffels, for her from-scratch investigations into growing and processing linen, from seed to usable item, including making appropriate replica tools. As well as winning the skill category, this entry scored significantly higher than any other in the round.
In the Experienced Category, a silver bell goes to Master Padraig Lowther, for his Hyppocras filtered through a linen Sleeve of Hippocrates.

In the Intermediate Category, the gold bell goes to Lady Rhianna verch y Koedwr, for a fourteenth-century lady’s outfit, including a stunning headdress.
In the Intermediate category, a silver bell goes to Mistress Fionn O Mara, for flowers preserved in candied sugar.

In the Beginner Category, the gold bell goes to Mestrez Ysabeau Chanteuse, for her pattern drafting and knitting of a display carpet.
In the Beginner Category, a silver bell goes to Lady Rose le Taillor, for a set of fourteenth-century body linens.

Three cheers for all the amazing artisans!

My heartfelt thanks go out to all those who have worked to repair Round Two of this year’s Championship, and done it with dedication, patience and courtesy. Your efforts are much appreciated.

The next competition will take place in Riverhaven, on the day of November Coronation.

Competitions – five minutes or five pages

It’s great to see so many people participating in the Lochac Kingdom A&S competitions, learning new skills, perfecting old ones, exploring themes and expanding their interests. So much enthusiasm! It can be difficult to filter that down to a manageable size for entering, while still showing off all those fascinating points. Equally, competitions require a concentrated input of time and focus from all the judges.

Volunteer judges give up their day, at an important Crown event, to deal as thoroughly and thoughtfully as they can with a wide range of entries. They need to wrangle a disparate selection into order, assign meaningful scores and offer useful feedback for each item. There might be ten items to judge, or twenty, and each one needs a fair assessment. Some people have been judges many times over the years; others may be frantically reading the guidelines to find out what they need to do.

Until the job is done, judges are not able to move around the event. They are missing out on courts, the tournament finals, the chance to socialise with their friends, and maybe even lunch! Judging is a big job, and we can’t have a Championship without people willing to offer this service.

Obviously, making their task easier and more pleasant is a high priority. Some of this is achieved by the event organisers, who provide tables, chairs, writing equipment, and sometimes even drinks and snacks (much appreciated). Some of it can be achieved by competition entrants – you!

The easiest way you can help is to be prepared. Have your entry and paperwork on the table early, ready to be assessed whenever the judges are able. If you want to know more about how to document your work, start here.

Keep your text down to five pages – the judges won’t have leisure to read more than that.

Of course, some entries don’t fit this ideal!
If you have written a book, or absolutely can’t do without fifty pages of documentation, consider making use of the online or early entry options, so that your item can be examined more slowly. Of course, this means having your entry ready well before the actual event.

If you wish to present verbal docco on the day, or if your entry is a performance, or clothing being worn, you need to remain at the judges’ disposal until they are able to give you their attention. This means letting them know you have a presentation, and then waiting within sight of the judges so they can get hold of you fast when the moment comes. Keep an eye out for their signal.

Judges can’t chase around the crowd looking for you – they probably have seven other items waiting to be assessed. Be easy to locate and ready to do your thing.

Aim for five minutes of presentation. Less is fine. 😉

Judges are fabulous people, doing a tricky task on a day with many other amazing things to do…
Do the Five and keep our judges happy!

Greetings!

At Autumn Crown, held in March in the lands of Okewaite, a Kingdom Arts and Sciences competition was held. This was the final round for the Championship of A.S. LIX. I am delighted to bring you news of the entries.

There were seven entries, across the Beginner to Advanced categories, taking inspiration from the themes of ‘Mahgreb’, ‘Mythical’ and ‘Music for the Choir’. One entry covered all three themes in a single item! We had three Experienced entries, three Intermediate entries, and one Beginner.

In the Experienced Category, the gold bell went to Master Crispin Sexi, for a Book of Rounds.
In the Experienced Category, a silver bell went to Maestro Ibn Jalal, for a Mahgrebi mulata.
In the Intermediate Category, the gold bell went to Lady Catherine Redewell, for Mythic Music for the Choir.
In the Intermediate category, a silver bell went to Lady Artemisia del Gatto d’Argento for a 15th-century Burgundian song.
In the Beginner Category, the gold bell went to Linnette Horne, for research on narrative styles used in medieval mythology.

A special mention goes to Master Padraig Lowther, whose Carrot Drink filled all three themes. It was accompanied by interesting and humorous documentation, and also by interesting and humorous reactions from the tasters.

Three cheers for all the amazing artisans!

My thanks and appreciation go out to all the judges, who graciously dedicated many hours of time and effort to examining the entries and providing thoughtful feedback. This round, this required an unusual amount of juggling, to prevent several people from judging work where they had conflict of interest. Everyone managed this extra challenge with grace and fortitude.

The judges for this round of the Championship were:
Baroness Joie Tigre d’Argentona
Mistress Mathilde Adycote of Mynheniot
Magnifica Contessa Ginevra Lucia di Namoraza
Dame Joan Sutton
THL Aelfred se leof
Lady Catalina ama el Fuego

Three cheers for all the magnificent judges!

I would especially like to thank Lady Catalina, the A&S Officer for Okewaite, who organised people, space and all the equipment for holding the competition. Catalina looked after the judges all day, while simultaneously helping with numerous other aspects of the event. Okewaite is a small group, and they all worked very hard before, during and after, to create a wonderful day.

This was the final round for the Championship of A.S. 59, and the Champion will be announced shortly. The new Championship year will begin with the competition to be held at May Coronation.

In service,
Dame Joan Sutton,
Deputy KMoAS.

Some of the judges

Linnette’s Research on Myth

Domina Quintilia’s Relic Pouch

Lady Artemisia’s Burgundian Song

Lady Catherine’s Mythical Music

Master Padraig’s Carrot Drink

Master Crispin’s Book of Rounds

Maestro Ibn Jelal in his mulata

Greetings All,

At Spring Crown, a Kingdom Arts and Sciences Competition was held.

Judges were delighted by a range of entries in the Beginner to Experienced section, with entries following the themes of ‘Before 1000 AD’, ‘Shell’ and ‘Puzzles’.

In the Experienced Category the Gold bell went to Linnette for a research piece on the ancient Ogham script.

In the Intermediate Category the Gold bell went to Mestrez Ysabeau Chanteuse for sugar-paste shells.

In the Beginner Category the Gold bell went to Sesenco for a fur cape.

In the Beginner Category the Silver bell went to Lady Yrsa in Harfagra for naalbinding socks.

We had one entry for ‘Shell’, and four entries for ‘Before 1000 AD’.

I would like to thank the KMoAS Deputy, Dame Joan Sutton for organisation and judging and the rest of the judges : (Advanced category) Dame Joan Sutton and Countess Ginevra di Namoraza, (Intermediate category) Lady Yrsa in Harfagre, Visconte Muirghein ni Grainne, and Mistress Kiriel du Papillon, and (Beginner category) Lady Magdalena af Husum, Dame Joan Sutton, and Mestrez Ysabeau Chanteuse. Judging involves a considerable commitment of time and energy; thank you to all for all their hard work in judging and providing thoughtful feedback for each entry.

We also had several backup judges on hand. Although their time and skill was not called upon this round, We appreciate their willingness and hope they will volunteer again in the future.

Three cheers for the wonderful judges and the amazing artisans who entered!

With two competitions out of four having been completed, the current results are as follows:  Mestrez Ysabeau Chanteuse is leading, with 147 points, followed by Linnette Horne, with 136 points, and The Honourable Ronan McBriain, with 87 points.

Photos will be uploaded to the Website ( https://artsandsciences.lochac.sca.org/) and the Facebook Page ( https://www.facebook.com/share/g/3YNUUxLnFG8TsQUJ/ )

The next round of competitions will be judged at November Crown. The themes will be ‘Protective Clothing’, ‘Flowers’, and ‘Trading Textiles’.

In Service to Lochac,

Contessa Ginevra Lucia Di Namoraza KMoAS and Dame Joan Sutton Deputy KMoAS

        Naalbinding socks

               Fur cape

       Sugar Paste Shells

                 Dolls

Greetings all,

We are now seeking candidates for Cockatrice Editor!

Cockatrice is Lochac’s quarterly A&S newsletter, featuring articles and photos from artisans all across the kingdom. The editor has creative control of the publication, and is responsible for seeking articles, publishing each edition, and communicating with the populace about Cockatrice through mailing lists and social media. For more information about the role, refer to the helpful FAQ at:

https://cockatrice.lochac.sca.org/what-does-the-editor-do/

Candidates should be:

• Over 18
• A current paid member of the SCA
• A fluent English speaker with a good grasp of writing and referencing styles
• Comfortable with various forms of online communication
• Familiar with various A&S activities

Please send your applications by 16 September 2024 to artsandsciences@lochac.sca.org

Please include your membership number, mundane and SCA names, and any relevant experience, along with any important plans or great ideas you would seek to enact if successful in winning the role.

Yours in Service,
Contessa Ginevra Lucia Di Namoraza

New Officer Progress:
Applications Opened <<< we are here (closes 16 September 2024)
Consideration Period
Shortlist for Commentary
Consultation Period
Notice to Candidates & Scheduling
Confirmation & Handover schedule

Greetings, Lochac!
I am privileged to be able to share with you the Arts and Sciences Competition results from Autumn Coronation, recently held in Southron Gaard.

There were five entries in the competition. The available themes were: Bread – Repeating Patterns – Rus Culture and Fashion

Announced in court, Gold bells:
Experienced (Repeating Patterns, for block-printing on fabric) – THL Ronan mac Briain
Intermediate (Repeating Patterns, for a gold embroidered neckline) – Mestrez Ysabeau Chanteuse
Beginner (Repeating Patterns, for tablet-woven tunic braid) – Vrangi Markusson

Congratulations to all these fine gentles, and to the remaining entrants also.

Many thanks are due to all the judges (apologies, I don’t have your names), and to Maestra Joana de Bairros and The Honourable Melisande de Massard, for co-ordinating everything for the event.

Three cheers for all the entrants, the judges, the organisers and, of course, the winners: Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

That was the initial round for the A.S. 59 Championship. Future rounds will be:

A.S. 59 Championship (2024-25)
Spring Crown: Puzzles, Shell, Before 1000 AD
November Coronation: Protective clothing, Flowers, Trading Textiles
Autumn Crown: Music for the Choir, Mythical, Maghreb

I look forward to seeing your entries!

In Service,
Dame Joan Sutton,

Goldwork

Tintinnabulum

Block Printing on Fabric

Tunic Braid

Acting KMoAS.