Artisan's Row Web is rebooted!

A place to craft...

A place to learn ...

A place to share ideas...

Every participent in Artisan's Row has a different view of just what Artisan's Row is....

Excitement - that's what I feel when I think of Artisan's Row -people being excited to meet others who are curious, passionate, and excited about what they do. It's exciting the way even the quietest person becomes animated when sharing what they love with someone else. Artisan's Row is hard work, but what a payoff! --- The Honorable Lady Angharad verch Dafydd

"Artisan's Row is a place where I can set up my dye pots (which takes a certain amount of time to set up, time to let them sit, time to rinse and enjoy the colors I get). A place where I can meet and talk to people from around the Known World who are interested in and doing the same things I enjoy (like the lady from Ansteorra who showed up the first year <Gulf Wars XII>, who spins *cotton*... we need more plant fiber people... and the lady from the Outlands who was the queen of felting.) A place where I can dabble in other related arts (someone else can set up all the felting stuff; I can practice my naalbinding with someone knowledgeable, so I don't keep making the same mistakes.) A place to think about what other art I would like to do in my free time (ROTFLOL!). A place to gather with old friends and catch up on our lives as we create in our own special ways. It's a place to teach and to learn... for 'hands on' especially. To be able to 'set up shop' for a week, to allow folk to come in and try something out or just ask questions... (As long as the weather cooperates), a place that folk can work on a project for the several hours that it really takes to learn a skill, and create something with that skill.". --- Mistress Marthe Elsbeth, OP, OL Barony of Thor's Mountain, Kingdom of Meridies

"Artisan's Row is an active learning space - it is a place where artisans can come to practice their art and where those interested in learning about new (or relearning old) arts can come to see how it's done, to ask questions, and in many cases to give it a try. It's dynamic, informal, hands-on, social.. and quite a bit more!" --- ban tigherna Aine ingen MaelPatraic, Shire of Rokeclif, Kingdom of Northshield

Artisan's Row was not born in a vaccuum. We are all members of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating pre-17th-century European history.

The SCA has 19 Kingdoms (or regional chapters) located around the world, which are further sub-divided into Principalities, Baronies, and Shires. The populace in those Kingdoms devote their free time to tournaments, festivals, educational collegiums (classes), feasts, revels, and all sorts of arts and sciences dating from pre-1600s western Europe. We try to bring the best of the Middles Ages back to life, by making an attempt at the proper clothing, or learning calligraphy, fencing, dancing, or whatever medieval activities you find interesting.

Most importantly, the SCA is not the same thing as a Renaissance Faire, because it is participatory. There is no audience. Every person plays a part in creating the atmosphere. Most local groups hold weekly meetings, fighter practices, and "events" (get-togethers where costumes are required) nearly every weekend. Some events feature armored combat tournaments and feasts, some are orchestrated around medieval pomp and circumstance (audiences or "Courts" conducted by Royalty), while others focus on learning more about particular crafts. Sometimes there is even an Artisan's Row.....

To find theSCA chapter nearest to you, visit: http://www.sca.org/geography/welcome.html