Questions Anyone Might Ask
Q: What is Athenaeum?
A: There is an in-person SCA event sponsored by the Barony of Madrone called Athenaeum, an Arts & Sciences Fair. It is a non-competitive Body of Work event, and is the opportunity for exhibitors at that event to display the breadth of their artistic abilities and receive valuable feedback and commentary from the Laurels of An Tir and other artisans in a relaxed, collaborative, and engaging environment. There are no judges or scoresheets at the in-person Athenaeum event.
This Website is the Athenaeum Showcase. The Showcase is a website where artists and artisans can publish a paper on their work, and receive feedback and comments from people who view their exhibit on this website. Mainly, it’s important to emphasize that this is also NOT a competition, rather it can be an opportunity to share work and add to the body of research by SCA participants.
Q: I thought this website was an online event that replaced the regular “in person” Athenaeum. Why the change?
A: Yes, in 2020 and 2021, when we could not hold in-person events, a version of this website served as a way of facilitating creative energy and interaction when we were still required to practice social distancing for public health and safety. Exhibits seen here that have dates in 2020 and 2021 were created and published during those two “virtual events.”
Q: I would like to visit the site and view the exhibits. Do I have to do anything?
A: You can simply view the content of exhibits at any time, and if you wish, you can write comments to the exhibit authors.
Q: Will the urls of the 2020 and 2021 exhibits change now that the site has changed its name?
A: The urls for exhibits created in 2020 and 2021 will not change.
Q: Do I need to live in An Tir to become an exhibitor?
A: You do not need to live in An Tir to participate as an exhibitor in the future, or to view published exhibits.
Q: Is there a cost to sign up and create an Athenaeum Showcase exhibit on this website?
A: Viewers of the website exhibits, enjoy! Folks who get the opportunity to create new exhibits starting in 2024 will be asked to contribute $5 toward technology costs that make this website possible.
Q: How do I sign up to create and publish an exhibit in the new Showcase?
A: For the inaugural Athenaeum Showcase cohort in Spring 2024, exhibits will be done by some Madronans as we test our processes.
Q: Who maintains this website?
A: Since the end of the virtual Athenaeum events, the Barony of Madrone Webminister has maintained the website with assistance and advice from the website creator and virtual Athenaeum visionary, Dame Alicia du Bois. Click here for information about the current website administrators and supporters.
Questions Exhibitors Might Ask
Q: Can anyone sign up to be an Exhibitor?
A: The Athenaeum Showcase intends to make available five to ten exhibitor registrations about three times per year. An exhibitor will receive access to an exhibit space in the form of one “page” on the website.
Q: I want to create an exhibit for the Athenaeum Showcase. Where do I start?
A: The site administrators are holding an inaugural session while testing our processes. When we finish this session, we will have further information. You could check out the tutorials in the meantime.
Q: How do I do this? I need help creating my Exhibit page! How do I use these tools? I am not a technical person! Maybe this opportunity isn’t for me.
A: We do NOT want technology to be a barrier to entry to the Showcase. Although we have tried to make the process of creating an Exhibit page as easy as possible, “easy” means different things to different people. Check this page about tutorial information! These tutorials were made for virtual Athenaeum 2020 and refer to that event date, but the technical information remains current. Use the Exhibitor’s Feedback form (once you get logged in) or the Contact Us form to reach out for help.
Q: Is it OK if I create my exhibit using my smartphone, if I don’t have a computer?
A: Yes, you can do the work on a smartphone. It may be more challenging to access the controls and menus on a small screen, and so it may take longer to complete.
Q: Can I create an exhibit about material I’ve displayed at the live Athenaeum event, or that I have published before on other websites or blogs?
A: Yes, provided it complies with our stated guidelines.
Q: Are there restrictions on what I can display?
A: Yes. Please see the article “What Shouldn’t I Display Online at Road to Athenaeum” for details.
Q: I exhibited on the Athenaeum website in 2020 and/or 2021, and I want to create an exhibit in the Athenaeum Showcase. Is my login still good? Can I just edit the exhibit I made before and put a new date on it?
A: If you get one of the spots to be an exhibitor for an Athenaeum Showcase session, we need you to sign up for the Athenaeum Showcase on the new exhibit path. You would log in on the site with the same user ID and password you set up for your previous participation. You will get to a page with a button to click and fill out a form to register for the Athenaeum Showcase with the current session. You’ll receive an email with next steps. As always, we’ll provide plenty of training opportunities and technical help.
Q: Can I log in to the Athenaeum Showcase website and edit my 2020 or 2021 exhibit because I want to edit it, or to fix some broken links?
A: Yes, you can log in to review and refresh your content and images, validate your links, and update your bibliography.
Q: Can I make a new exhibit on the Athenaeum Showcase and talk about the same material as my exhibit from 2020 or 2021, and include new learnings? Doesn’t that mean I would have two exhibits that cover the same material?
A: If you want to present new information related to your previous exhibit, we ask that you create a new exhibit. You can allow the previous exhibit to remain, or you can choose to ask the website admins to remove your previous exhibit at the time your new exhibit is published. It’s up to you.
Q: Can I use projects I display on the Athenaeum Showcase, or that I created for the Athenaeum 2020 and 2021 virtual events, to enter local, Principality, or Kingdom competitions?
A: Both Athenaeum the Event and Athenaeum Showcase are not competitions, and those who display are simply receiving feedback on their entries. It is likely you will be able to enter your item in a competition later. We can’t speak for all competitions, however, so you should check the rules before you enter.
Q: At the Athenaeum in-person event, exhibitors get the benefit of guaranteed discussions with several members of the Order of the Laurel. Do the website administrators organize discussions for me with Laurels, if I join a Showcase session and make an exhibit?
A: For the Showcase website, when new Exhibit pages are published, the website administrators will make every effort to disseminate news of new exhibits using multiple ways to spread the word, so that people can view the new exhibits and submit comments. Exhibit creators are encouraged to share the link to their published exhibit on their own social networks, and find ways to have discussions with interested folks.
Questions Laurels Might Ask
Q: How can I find out if there are new exhibits that have been published on the Athenaeum Showcase website?
A: When new Exhibit pages are published, the website administrators will make every effort to disseminate news of new exhibits using multiple ways to spread the word, so that people can go and view the new exhibits and submit comments for the exhibitors.
Q: Will I be contacted and asked to have 1:1 meetings with exhibitors who have new exhibits on the Showcase website?
A: No. The Showcase is for publishing articles, and the administrators do not arrange 1:1 meetings between exhibitors and members of the Order of the Laurel. 1:1 meetings are a benefit for exhibitors at the Athenaeum Arts & Sciences Fair, which is an in-person event.
Q: Can Laurels and other members of the peerage display on this website? I have a blog or website, but this looks interesting.
A: Yes, members of the peerage can sign up to create an exhibit when session registration is opened. However, folks who already publish their research on a blog or website are asked to keep in mind that the Showcase serves best as a resource for folks who don’t have resources to publish online, and who seek to build website publishing skills and know-how.