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February 3229

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New Argos Art Fair

wow that's a lot of stars is a sci-fi setting about adventure, exploration, and discovery. Every person, place, and thing has a story to tell, if you listen closely.   Setting Intro | Visitor's Guide | Author's Intentions

History

The first annual New Argos Art Fair occurred in August of 3211, by decree of then-governor Jui Dawson. At the time, New Argos was still recovering from the Battle for Talmar. Numerous buildings were still in need of reconstruction or repair, and uplifting the planet's infrastructure from TL2 to TL4 had barely begun. The people cost was far higher, in loss of life and culture in the wake of recent events, and would likely never return to what it was before. The influx in off-world residents only increased the general unease pervading through residents.  
Ms. Dawson got the idea in 3210, when her son collected used escape pods from around the planet and erected them in a massive pyramid in front of city hall. Seeing the crowds it drew inspired her to make an annual event to bring levity to the struggling city. The summer timeline encouraged use of the outdoor space, though adjustments had to be made to better allow the planet's farming populace to attend.
 

Key Events

Evening performances
Shows and concerts held in evenings leading up to the main event.
Art shows
Over the weekend, artists showcase their works in booths, on stands, or in scheduled performances.
Voting
Attendees and participants vote for their favorite works of art throughout the show.
Awards ceremony
On the final night, winners of various awards are announced and prizes handed out.
After party
Both official and unofficial celebrations happen to close off the event.

Key People

Participants
Display their work in designated booths or performance slots.
Judges
Traverse the grounds to determine the winners and runners up in various categories.
Attendees
Come to admire the art on display and potentially purchase some for home.
Event managers
Coordinate booth space, performance schedules, and sponsorships.
Sponsors
Provide awards to be won, or purchase booth spots to be given to less advantaged artists.
 

Art Categories

The fair is meant to be a display of every form of art, and thus different categories were created to provide various awards for different artistic disciplines. The categories are fluid and some works appear in multiple, to be judged by different criteria. For instance, a musical play may be judged both as a visual art for its costuming and choreography, but as an audio art for its songs and vocal work.   There have been petitions to add a category for digital and electronic forms of art, but have met resistence. Many argue high-tech forms of art cannot accurately convey the values of the historically low-tech planet.  
CategoryDescription
Visual Art This category includes three key sub-categories: painting and drawing (all mediums), sculpting (all mediums), dance and other visual performances.
Audio Art This category has two sub-categories: music and song writing, and plays, musics, and similar performances.
Edible Art This new category has no sub-categories yet, but culinary arts are judged based on both taste and presentation.
Written Art This category is broken into poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.
Worn Art This category separates textiles and clothing from jewelry and other accessories.

Information

Founded by
Jui Dawson
First occurrence
August 3211
Goals
  • Encourage young artists
  • Bring levity to a struggling city and populace
  • Showcase traditional Talmarian arts
  • Help integrate incoming off-planet refugees
  • Primary Related Location
    Important Locations

    Notable Winners

    The Water's Fall
    A stone sculpture of an ancient ship, shaped with water rather than tools
    View From the Tower
    New Argos as seen from the radio tower, made with locally-made charcoal and watercolor
    Incursion
    A spoken-word poem about accepting newcomers to the planet
    Winds of Change
    A kinetic sculpture using repurposed metal from damaged Legion mechs

    The Color Yellow

    The significance of the color yellow on Talmar dates back to its original settlers, who used it to oppose an ongoing war. The Yellow Jackets later took it up, their name referring to both the territorial insect and the color that their ancient ancestors used to signal their allegiance.   However, the color is rarely seen on Talmar, seen only in certain forms of clay or in few select native flowers. As consequence, much traditional Talmarian art uses the color only sparingly, but always in a vital role.   Even with improved technology and off-world trade, yellow continues to be used sparingly in most Talmarian art to reserve it for where it's most needed.


    Cover image: by Aaron Lee, Nick Ong, Norah Khor

    Comments

    Author's Notes

    This article was written as part of Summer Camp 2023. Follow the link to learn more.


    Please Login in order to comment!
    Jul 4, 2023 05:38

    Stellar formatting and writing :D


    Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.
    Jul 6, 2023 01:10 by Rin Garnett

    Thank you! Probably my best-organized of my SC articles thus far :)

    Jul 27, 2023 08:02

    Love the use of the sidebar for a quick overview of the event and the inclusion of previous winners is a very good added touch!   Keep up the good work! :D

    Jul 27, 2023 14:59 by Rin Garnett

    Thank you! I had fun brainstorming different types of art for it.