Greetings, Northshield.
I’m Farolfus, a resident of the Barony of Nordskogen, and I’d like to introduce myself as your new Kingdom Minister of Arts and Sciences (big thanks to Vlad for stepping in for the past 6 months). I am looking forward to serving the Kingdom; we have so many curious and talented people, and I cannot wait to see what you all create, learn, and share over the next two years.
I also have some broad goals for my term, and I invite dialogue on them because they will require input and effort from other Northshielders in order to work. Some will be easier to address than others, and not all of them are 100% achievable in a twoyear period, but everything has to start somewhere.
To help the A&S community continue to grow, we must promote ways for beginners to get comfortable with A&S (and not just in competition format). There are many ways to “do” A&S—how can we encourage folks to try it for the first time and then support their journeys?
The Kingdom A&S Faire is coming up in April, and I have been working with deputies to revamp the KA&S judging sheets. The new Novice division sheets are designed to be very beginner-friendly, and changes to the Open division sheets aim to provide a clear yardstick for judges and entrants alike. These and other updates will debut soon. Will you join us this year as an entrant, displayer, and/ or judge?
I am committed to working toward diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in the Kingdom’s A&S community. For starters, I want to ensure that Northshield’s A&S is inclusive of all cultures within the SCA time frame; examine and address any Eurocentric bias that may be baked into the judging rubric/structure; and expand accessibility for a wider range of abilities and learning styles and make sure that accommodations are useful, available, and easy to request. What does DEIB in A&S look like to you?
And a final goal: investigating opportunities for continued virtual participation, recognizing that not everyone can travel for one-day events or has access to a robust local A&S group. Financial, family, job, health, or geographic constraints should not bar anyone from participating in the A&S community. How might we continue to use virtual tools to reduce barriers?
I look forward to speaking with many of you about these topics. My email inbox is always open at moas@northshield.org.
Yours in Service,
Farolfus