Being the online web log for the Southwestern Pennsylvania branch of the SCA, Inc.
As is traditional, we had the Baronial Arts and Sciences Championship at the Debatable Lands 12th Night event yesterday. We had 8 excellent entries, and I do not envy them having to choose their champion from among the entrants.
In the end (and after some argument), Michiharu’s Kimchi of Various Styles was chosen by the Baronage as their favorite entry, and Oyama-dono was named as their new Arts and Sciences Champion!
Baronessa Violeta and Praetoria Prima will select their next A&S Champion at the Debatable Lands Twelfth Night on January 25, 2025!
Please bring an entry that represents your journey as an artisan.
Documentation is optional but encouraged.
North Park Lodge, N Ridge Dr, Allison Park, PA 15201
Here are photographs of more than a dozen entries in this year’s Debatable Lands 12th Night Arts and Sciences Display and Baronial Championship Competition (DL12NANSDBCC for short). My apologies if I missed your entry! Please contact me if that is the case. In addition to these excellent objects, many entries were accompanied by excellent research articles.
Alric Smith was the winner of the Championship competition and will represent the Barony Marche of the Debatable Lands at the 7 Pearls event. The Honorable Lady Lisabetta (“Bess”) de Rossi has agreed to second Smith if he is unable to attend that event.
The Honorable Lady Lisabetta de Rossi ran a largesse derby at Agincourt 15 this past weekend. Nominally, it was a competition, but the real purpose was to collect items that their Majesties Aethelmearc can give as gifts to their populace and to other Kingdoms.
Thank you everyone for enabling the Crown to disburse the artistic generosity of Glorious Aethelmearc!
My report to the Kingdom is due on September first and I need your help!
Well this is your chance to make sure that that information about your awesome self and your awesome neighbors makes it into this report!
Send any and all awesome A&S information to your humble A&S Minister at ansminister(at)debatablelands.org, please if you can before the end of next week (September 1st). Please! Your friends and I are counting on you.
In addition to the many classes at Iris Festival this year, space will be set aside in the main pavilion again this year for an Arts and Sciences display. Please bring examples of your work in any art or craft. All are welcome. Projects related to East Asia or Japan are encouraged, of course. If you will be wearing your project that day, photographs and short write-ups would still be a great way to let people know about your work. If you have research to present, please bring copies for people to read.
This site is covered but outdoors, so make sure to protect your project from errant breezes and possible stray raindrops. There is also a site restriction of “No glass bottles.”
I had some lovely discussions with last year’s entrants, and they provided great content for my report to the kingdom. There will be no competition and no judging. If you have any questions you’d like to ask a more experienced craftsperson, we can probably find somebody to help out.
The Æthelmearc Arts & Sciences Faire 2023 is in a few weeks, and it’s not that far away in the Shire of Nithgaard. This is always a wonderful event, and a good way to display your work and get direct feedback from others. You can even enter virtually if you are still nervous about attending in-person events.
The Queen’s Prize Tourney is limited to entrants not already in the Order of the Laurel, but to enter your work you must be sponsored by peer of the Laurel, or by a Fleur d’Aethelmearc (or foreign equivalent).
If you would like to enter the Tourney, but have not yet lined up a sponsor and don’t know who to ask, please let me know and we’ll get you matched up with a sponsor. You have until April 20th to register for virtual participation, and until April 27th to register for in-person.
Their Royal Highnesses, Arnthor Inn Sterki and Ceirech Na Hinnsi, are pleased to let it be known to all that they are looking forward to choose their Arts & Sciences Champions at the Kingdom Arts & Sciences Championship to be hosted by the the Barony of Rhydderich Hael this Saturday, October 22nd.
It’s too late to set up a virtual entry, but you can register an in-person entry if you show up first thing at the event.
The event is from 9am to 5pm, and it’s just a four-point-mumble hour drive up to Sanborn, NY if you want to day-trip it. More information:
https://aethelmearc.org/event/kingdom-as-champs/
Even if you aren’t entering, this is a great event to see what others in the Kingdom are working on, and some of the best arts and research the SCA has to offer.
The Baron and Baroness really hope to see you all at this Saturday’s picnic, and I as the Arts and Sciences minister hope that you will bring your crafting projects with you to work on and show off. There will not be any official classes or display, but while we socialize we’d like to see what you’re working on and ask you questions about your particular craft. This is not the best venue for noisy or messy work, but anything portable and interesting is fair game, and it’s all interesting to us.
I know that we have some knitters, narrow weavers, and braiders coming out. I can’t imagine the calligraphers, illuminators, and painters will leave their supplies behind at home. Personally, I will be bringing some sharpening stones and similar implements to help others with putting a useful edge on their tools and weapons. The site has plenty of room for stuff and people, so please bring whatever you feel like working on.
See you Saturday!
