Sunday stuff

[aliskye]

Just got back from a typical Sunday morning with the P's. They had coffee and a pastry at the Rose Cafe. I had a muffin and some non-fat milk. Then we walked down one of my favorite beach streets. (If I won the lottery I would buy a house on that street). Walked on the beach, went to the Farmer's Market (I bought some veggies and some flowers which I still need to put in a vase). Then we went to Costco.

So, if you are still reading, we get to some SCA stuff.

I've been trying to stir up more interest in Scribal matters because it seems to me we are at a low ebb in scribal interests. Last year, I tried to interest people in a Scribes Guild and it was roundly pooh-poohed. I think I'm going to try to interest people again, and I'm just not going to a) take no for an answer :) and b) think that I have to interest 100% of the people.

Eowyn is right that we need to train more scribes, but just offering classes isn't going to do it. We need to have mentoring and incentive, even if that is something as artificial as ranks in a guild. We need to build a community of scribes.

What I have in mind is taking the College of Scribes and giving it some dimension. I propose to have several different ranks along the lines of Student (completed 0-3 scrolls or 0-2 scrolls and taken 1 scribal collegium class), Sophomore (completed 4-10 scrolls, or 3-7 scrolls and taken 3 scribal collegium classes), Scholar (completed 11+ scrolls, or 8 scrolls and teach 1 scribal collegium class). The exact numbers are up for debate.

The most senior scribes of the Kingdom, those wonderful people who regularly teach classes and write articles and keep the scribal arts alive, I'd ask to be part of the faculty (and continue their efforts).

The College of Scribes would be headed by a Dean. This would likely be separate from the Scribe Armarius though it could be the same person. The Scribe Armarius would still be the Collegium Regent for Scribal Arts and have the primary oversight of scroll production of the Kingdom. The Dean would keep track of ranks in the College and set up mentoring positions between new scribes and experienced scribes. Both positions will promote scribal arts in the Kingdom.

I think the time is right for this. Certainly there will be some that don't think it's necessary and it might not be for them. This is to encourage new scribes. Do people need ranks to do things? Of course not, but people do need community, especially to continue with what is often a thankless task. The College of Scribes can be that community. It needs to be something more than a name.

Comments

[marymont.livejournal.com]

So, ok, I've written for scroll assignment.

I personally think there are too many scroll-eligible awards being given out, or at least that there are too many awards that are scroll-eligible. (Yes, there's a difference between those two.)

I think that we are wasting our new scribes' time painting the charters--I know that the expense might be great to start with, but have we ever considered getting the Charters color printed? The expense of losing scribes because they don't feel challenged by trying to color inside the lines (something they may have outgrown by the end of grammar school) I believe to be far greater than the printing expense.

The concept of turning the College of Scribes into a College is utterly shocking. I'm all for it.

[aliskye.livejournal.com]

LOL. Thank you for the final comment. Last time I proposed it, it fell flatter than a pancake.

I totally agree that there are too many scroll-eligible awards. Maybe we ought to be focusing on AoA's and Patents. I don't know what to do about the Grant level awards though. Darn our complicated award structure.

I have mixed feelings about painting the charters. It can be a good training ground to teach people how to paint and about some certain styles. But only if the charters include instructions (Eowyn did instruction sheets for the first Dolphin charter scroll, but they don't seem to be distributed anymore. And instruction sheets were never done for the rest of the charter scrolls.) But after painting 2-3, I think a person is ready to move on.

I'm not crazy about printing color charters. I'd rather see them as black/white line art, or handpainted. If we simplified some of them.......

I'm wanting to run with this...

[marymont.livejournal.com]

It is true that painting someone else's pre-printed art can help teach brush control, because if you royally screw up, you can wheedle another copy, and all is well. At the risk of repeating myself, however, I think hand-painted charter scrolls are a waste of time.

Most historical grants of arms were writing-heavy, art-light, in contrast with most of our scrolls. I do not begrudge anyone a beautiful piece of art for their wall, but I don't think spending untold hours making an already attractive piece of black-and-white art colorful is a good use of the time of the scant few active scribes.

In regards to the scroll-eligible awards, any that change the status of an armiger (Award to Grant to Patent) I can agree are appropriate for scrolls. The Orders often attached to the elevation in rank (i.e., the co-awards--Harp, Dolphin, Crescent Sword, Duelist, Argent Arrow, Lux, Crescent, Gauntlet, White Scarf, Chiron) get the recipient a ceremony and a pretty piece of jewelry. The legal documentation of a scroll (with the many hours of personal artistic effort) should be for the elevation, not for induction into the Order.

Court Baronies could also be scroll-eligible, since that changes the person's right to a title.

Your idea of (and I'm interpreting and expanding here) beating the bushes and dragging the artists, kicking and screaming, out of the paw-paw patch, is a much more useful thing to do.

How do we do this? Perhaps the idea of the Scribes' Challenge is worthy. Instead of a throwaway line when the scroll is presented identifying the scribe, maybe calling the scribe into court at the time of the scroll delivery, and an announcement something like, "With this scroll, Mistress Aliskye has presented to our court the 1,834th document from her brush and pen." A small gift, consumable in the practice of the art (a new tube of gouache, or a new nib, or a feather suitable for cutting into a quill, or a fresh fine-pointed brush, just as a few examples) could be presented to the scribe, not as a bribe to do more, but as a thank you and as an acknowledgement that supplies get used up!

If you like these ideas, I'd be happy to bring them to the scribes' list. However, they're going to be controversial, as is anything that changes The Way We Do Things.

Re: I'm wanting to run with this...

[dirtsailor.livejournal.com]

Most historical grants of arms were writing-heavy, art-light, in contrast with most of our scrolls. I do not begrudge anyone a beautiful piece of art for their wall, but I don't think spending untold hours making an already attractive piece of black-and-white art colorful is a good use of the time of the scant few active scribes.

Perhaps doing illuminated scrolls for basic AoAs, GoAs and all Patents, then doing basic written scrolls for all the orders. Illuminate the first letter of each paragraph, and maybe have a nice but simple header with the symbol of the order on it. That should cut down scroll production time considerably without making it completely plain.

[dirtsailor.livejournal.com]

I support a guild-like structure. I'm not crazy about output-based promotions (at least beyond the first 2-3 ranks), but I fully support people being recognized by thier peers for thier work.

[aliskye.livejournal.com]

Hi Hob! What would you rather base promotions on? I did add a slight component of taking/teaching classes, but scroll production output is really what we need focused on.

[dirtsailor.livejournal.com]

I'm not saying output-based promotions aren't the best way to do things in these circumstances; I'm just not a big fan of them.

Perhaps output-based for the first 2-3 ranks, then after that make it quality-based (as decided by the senior people in the guild).

I understand that output is the major problem right now, but there is the possibility of someone turning out 11 junk scrolls somewhere down the line. So eventually you may want to identify people within the guild for the quality of their scrolls, as well as quantity (if you want to do something outside the standard SCA awards structure).

[aliskye.livejournal.com]

I understand your reservations regarding rewarding quantity, but there are Kingdom awards that reward quality. People doing excellent scribal work should be recommended for Harp Argent's and Lux's.

[dirtsailor.livejournal.com]

Fair enough.

[deryabar.livejournal.com]

I don't think we have too many scroll-based awards, I think we have too few people trying to make too many scrolls! I support the idea of a Guild or College or whatever you want to call it. I don't care so much about ranks and rewards for X number of scrolls. What I'd love to see is a website with pictures of alllll the work and bits of information about the scribes. I'd like to see a repository of scroll texts in foreign languages (I'm in search of the Dolphin text in Hebrew and the Duke/Duchess texts in Greek right now.)

I'm not so much for calling people up to get scrolls at court because most people can't see the scroll and most people aren't prepared to handle their new scroll when they return to their seat. Rather, it would be lovely to have an area at all kingdom events where the scrolls are displayed (which we frequently do now) and maybe even photograph the recipient and scribe if such is agreeable to all parties.

I'm cool with people painting charters because some people are perfectly happy doing so. Even if a more senior scribe thinks the painter is ready to move on to Something More, the painter may not want to, and shouldn't be forced ot.

I definitely think that the list of outstanding scrolls should be run past a few people who can ID those recipients who have dropped out. No point in doing a scroll for someone who hasn't been in the SCA in 20 years IMO.

[aliskye.livejournal.com]

We certainly do have too few scribes. It does concern me a little that potentially someone who has friends who are scribes could get 5-10 scrolls and someone who doesn't might get 0.

I doubt that anyone has done a translation of the Duke/Duchess scroll into Greek. Or the Dolphin into Hebrew. But certainly the translations that we do have should be posted.

We haven't given the scrolls immediately to the recipient after they were presented to the Crown and populace for several years. The scrolls *are* put on display and the recipients are asked to picked them up at the end of the day. It would help if everyone would remember to return those scroll carriers that Countess Luciana made. We've pretty much run out of them. Displaying scrolls at outdoor events would be pretty much a bad idea. (Melting seals? Food dropped on them? Blowing in the wind?)

I've purged the list to get rid of non-active people but that's no solution. We've got to get more active scribes. I feel strongly that foregoing presenting scrolls in court will not gain more scribes. Visbility for scribes is extremely important.

[joeguppy.livejournal.com]

Also, perhaps we need to revisit the idea of a weekend scriptorium at some location, and pump up the enthusiasm leading up to it. Thoughts?

[aliskye.livejournal.com]

That's the best idea I've seen so far. :) Quarterly weekend scriptoriums would be a good start. 2 at Collegium and 2 in between.

[cayswann.livejournal.com]

Chatting in the Crimson Spade this weekend, I mentioned my own personal goal: I will not ask for a scroll unless I'm prepared to take a scroll assignment (on a 1-for-1 basis). At the same time, I know there are lots of blank promissories out there somewhere -- I managed to get two of them on Saturday from someone on court from Gallavally who brought them from their scriptorium. My goal is to paint promissories every week, for each event I go to. If they're going to give awards at every event I attend, then maybe I can paint promissories for every event. Right now I have a Harp Argent and a Crescent Sword to paint.

But I loved your challenge out on the Caid list, and plan to try and take it up to do a "REAL" scroll for the first time. I'm not sure who's I'll do, but I'll think about it over the next 1-2 weeks and go and get an assignment. I want to try to win that "new scribe" contest of yours, if possible. *wink*

And oddly enough, I want to still work up a pseudo-Russian calligraphy hand to do my ex's AoA. We got our AoA's on the same day, so I've always sorta wanted to do that for him. He did a stellar job getting my Dolphin framed, so well, you know. Even if things aren't all that friendly between us, I still want to see him get something beautiful for his AoA.

Keep up the ideas and innovation!

[aliskye.livejournal.com]

Yay! More people taking up my Challenge is a good thing.

I might have a pseudo-Russian hand somewhere. I have a book that has several hands, I'm not positive there is a Russian one, but I'll take a look.

[deryabar.livejournal.com]

For those of us who are not on the Caid List, wot challenge?

I like the idea of at least a quarterly scriptorium (this means paint stuff but wear real clothes, yes?) With the price of gasoline, weeknights that involve sitting in traffic are less desirable than weekends.

To clarify my comment about scrolls displayed at events, I meant indoor events :)

Aliskye, can you post the specs on scroll carriers - size, price, brand name, where to get them?

[aliskye.livejournal.com]

I posted the Challenge in the Caid LJ and on the Caid-Scribes list (I thought your Grace was on the Scribes list?) But here it is again:

I, Aliskye MacKyven Raizel, throw down the gauntlet and challenge all the Scribes in the Kingdom and all warbands, households and landed groups to take up quill and brush and produce one original Scroll to be completed and turned in to the Scribe Armarius by October 22nd, 2006. I will provide a prize for the best scroll by a new Scribe (done by anyone who has done three or fewer scrolls) and a prize for the best scroll done by an experienced Scribe (anyone who has done four or more scrolls). If she is willing, I call Mistress Luighseach to judge the scrolls along with those others that she finds suitable (perhaps Her Majesty the Queen and Master Giuseppe, Kingdom Master of Arts). The scroll must be original and pursuant to a scroll assignment.

Who will abide the Challenge!

Writ this 10th Day of June in the year 2006 by my hand,

aliskye macKyven raizel

I've talked to Master Gareth about using Calle Mayor to host a Scriptorium and he seemed amenable. It is a little far from the freeway for easy access but free.

The scroll carriers were all handmade out of mat board and tape. They are three pieces of mat board, one cut out to show the scroll and taped together on 3 sides. Some also have ribbon to tie the carrier closed. Good sizes would be 12x16 and 14 x18 though a lot of them were custom made for odd sized scrolls.

[deryabar.livejournal.com]

So it sounds like we also need a scroll carrier making workshop as well, yes?

I nominate Master Thomas Brownwell to be a judge!

Here's a thought... rather than have rankings or give a single prize for best scroll, how about tokens of some kind to be given for each scroll completed. Maybe the 5th, 10th, 15th completed entitles the scribe to a slightly fancier token so in essence we would be building a non-secular string-of-beads, as it were. That way we might be able to avoid getting tangled up in more titles or competitions.

[aliskye.livejournal.com]

A scroll carrier workshop would be a good thing.

Regarding the rest, there are three different things going on, each somewhat separate from the others.

Thanking the Scribes: Each year at 12th Night for the last many years, we've been thanking Kingdom scribes by calling them up and giving them a token. In recent years the token was a hand cast pewter token badge, the embattled quill.

The Scribes Guild that I've proposed, the College of Scribes, with rankings and titles is a different way of getting people involved in scribal arts and a different way of thanking them for their work. It's a way of fostering community among the scribes.

The Scroll Challenge is separate from both the above and is my personal Challenge to all and sundry to get people excited and interested in doing scrolls. The prizes offered are my personal gift.

When I was teaching English Country Dance, I learned that not everyone processes information the same way. Some people pick things up easily just by watching. Some by being guided through the movements. Others needed to see written instructions. I am approaching getting people interested in scribal arts the same way. On many fronts. At the end of the day, I hope that most people will come to love working on scrolls, that they will experience the joy that comes with finishing a scroll, the accomplishment that comes from mastering a new hand or art style, the pleasure of seeing someone gifted with the work amazed, the delight in hearing one's name called out in court.