New Argos Art Fair

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.

Category	Description
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

New Argos

Important Locations

• Cheshire
• Darkmount
• Huizhou
• Talmar

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.