There are many upcoming opportunities for all to get creative and share their work! Here are but a few; if you know of more to add, please contact Guðrún Sveinsdóttir at moas@mountainfreehold.eastkingdom.org.
EK Crown’s A&S Competition and Display 2024
Their Majesties will be choosing their Champions at the annual Crown A&S Championships on March 2, 2024, at an in-person event in Quintavia. There are virtual/remote options for entrants who cannot display/compete in person. Check out the link above for more details!
EK Winter 2023 Online A&S Display
While the deadline for entries has passed, stay tuned: this display will go live on December 1st! The next EK Online Display will have a deadline for entries 0n June 15th, 2024, and will go live on July 1st.
Novice November Artisan Spotlights
Our East Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences has issued a challenge in November for artisans to share their projects in types of arts or sciences that are/were new to them. This is an exciting challenge: we all start somewhere, and this is a chance to show where you started! The Facebook group is called Novice November Artisan Support Group. There will eventually also be a video shared as a “highlights reel.” When that becomes available, it will be shared here.
Freehold Award-making Challenge
We have been making Kingdom-level awards and paraphernalia to send to Their Majesties. Details can be found here on Facebook. While the initial challenge period is over, we are still accepting contributions, which we can send as a group or you can send individually. If you have any questions, Guðrún is the person to contact.
100 Days of A&S is an ongoing challenge group on Facebook. The goal is to spend at least 10 minutes a day for 100 days in a row on any A&S-related activity. It could be anything from blacksmithing, to herbal gardening, to learning a new language for your persona, to research, to cleaning out your workshop to give yourself space to work. Anything A&S goes!
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During the time of plague, our talented artisans continued creating and sharing their work in a virtual format. While more recent events are in-person or hybrid, many continue to have an online presence. Here is a listing of past events, including creations by our Shire members.
Laurel’s Challenges at Bloodfeud in the Danelaw
There was a fantastic display of artistry and science at the Shire of Coldwood’s Viking-era immersion event in October 2023! A handful of Laurels set challenges, and many artisans answered the call, both in-person and in a virtual display. Our own Duchess Marieke was one of the Laurels to sponsor challenges, and several Freeholders and Friends of the Freehold were among the in-person challengees: THL Vindiorix Ordovix, THL Tómas Hamarsson, Rowan of Meikledale, and Ivar of Green Mountain Leathercraft. Check out the Freehold’s A&S Gallery page for photos! (If they’re not up yet, they will be soon!)
Freehold A&S Championships
We held our Championships at the Freehold Birthday Bash on Sept. 16th, 2023. The theme, set by our current Champion, Captain Lily Aubrey, was “Anachronism.” We used our new Shire A&S rubric as guidelines for this competition. (For those who have not used a rubric before, or who would like to learn more about this particular one, please feel free to email Guðrún with any questions.) We had a wonderful set of competition entrants as well as some terrific displays by artisans who chose to display their work without entering the competition. At the end of the day, our 2023 Champion was announced: Eseld An Goarnig, who hand-crafted a stunning late-period outfit! Photos of the displays and competition entries will be up soon on our Freehold’s A&S Gallery page!
EK Crown’s A&S Competition and Display 2023
Their Majesties chose their Champions at the annual Crown A&S Championships on March 4th, 2023. The online display is available at the link above!
Fourth East Kingdom Online A&S Display – July 2022
This display covers a wide variety of arts and sciences projects, including a Viking-era linen cap by Freeholder Guðrún Sveinsdóttir.
EK Crown’s Arts & Sciences Competition and Display 2022
The East Kingdom A&S Championships happened at Aisles of Marche in Stonemarche on March 5th. This year it was held in a hybrid format, with the initial rounds online, and the finals in person with online alternatives if necessary.
We had two Freehold finalists in the Championships this year, and one of them was chosen as Champion!
Our new King’s Champion, Corotica merkka Senebelena, made a fantastically complicated non-alcoholic medicinal beverage called “The Drink of Great Roots” from a 13th-century anonymous Andalusian cookbook;
And Guðrún made an interpretation of a Viking-era apron dress (or smokkr) based on the Køstrup find.
Freehold Foresters’ Challenge
While this was geared toward the Foresters’ Guild, anyone could participate! Our local Keeper of the Forest at the time (Corotica merkka Senebelena) headed up some fun monthly challenges. For May 2021, the challenge was to identify 3 plants and say how you identified them. For June 2021, it was to identify 2 types of animal tracks and analyze them. Over the winter in 2021/2022, Corotica challenged us to “Sit outside wearing your garb for at least a half hour at night, completely unplugged, and just feel into how that feels.”
The Third East Kingdom Online A&S Display went live on Nov. 6th, 2021. It contains some wonderful project examples from all over our Kingdom.
The First Bardic War (May 15-23, 2021) is over, and the East has triumphed! There are class handouts still available on the website, and the Bardic War also has two YouTube channels and a Facebook presence.
EK Laurels’ Challenges 2021
Corotica merkka Senebelenae answered a challenge with several fabulous non-alcoholic medieval beverage recipes and documentation on how to serve them for large feasts.
Eleanor Grey completed two challenges: beautiful poetry in honor of Sir Tearlach, and lovely blackwork embroidery on a hand-sewn partlet.
Guðrún Sveinsdóttir answered three challenges: making goldwork medallions, embellishing a Viking-era coat with Byzantine silk trim, and the beginnings of a research paper on Viking-era underwear and menstrual products.
EK Crown’s Arts & Sciences Competition and Display 2021
Our own Vindiorix Ordovix (Black Finn) entered his fantastic Sumerian ale, and was one of the finalists in the competition!
And Guðrún displayed her walnut-dyed tunic, which has kept our Seneschal warm this past winter.
The EK Ministry of Arts & Sciences also held several other displays in 2020, including one in which our Lisabetta Medaglia shared her beautiful gryphon scroll.
Some of our artisans have their own websites or blogs to display their work. Here is Lily Aubrey’s “Captain’s Blog,” where you can see her impressive scribal accomplishments.