Endless possibilities with eastwind university

Creativity and craftsmanship are a big part of life in Eastwind Village. Our Arts & Sciences (A&S) program gives villagers a place to explore skills, create things, learn from one another, and share what they've made.

Once a year during the summer, Eastwind holds an A&S Tournament, where villagers can enter their work in a variety of categories. You may enter one piece per category during the event.

The categories are intentionally broad because we want to encourage people to explore what they know, try something new, and share their skills with the village.

The Tailor category covers fiber arts—anything made using materials such as yarn, wool, cotton, and other fibers.

This can include techniques such as:

• Crochet
• Sewing
• Cross-stitch
• Weaving
• Other fiber-based crafts

If you're working with fiber to create something, this is likely your home.

Tanner encompasses things made from animals or animal byproducts.

Leatherworking is one of the largest parts of this category, but it isn't limited to leather. Projects using other animal materials, such as antler, can also qualify.

Animal byproducts can also lead to some interesting projects. Things such as honeycomb or animal fat used to make candles, soaps, and similar items can fall into this category as well.

The Carpenter category covers woodworking and wood-related projects.

This can include finished projects, engraving, woodburning, and even the planning stage of a project.

You can submit blueprints or plans for a woodworking project, even if you've never gotten around to building the finished piece.

The Culinarian category is for food and drinks.

Whether you're cooking, baking, brewing, creating a recipe, or exploring another culinary skill, this is where your work belongs.

The Smith category covers metalworking and related crafts.

This includes finished metal projects as well as blueprints and plans for projects that have not yet been completed.

Jewelry making and precious-stone work also fall under Smith, giving this category a much broader range than traditional blacksmithing alone.

Bardic is one of our broadest categories because it encompasses performance and the written arts.

This can include:

• Singing
• Playing musical instruments
• Dance
• Poi
• Acting
• Monologues
• Poems
• Stories
• Songs and songwriting
• Music created using computer technology

Written works do not have to be performed to be scored. If you've written a poem, story, or song, you can enter it even if you never intend to perform it.

Think of Artisan as your art class.

This category is intentionally wide and can include both two-dimensional and three-dimensional—and even four-dimensional—art.

Examples include:

• Painting
• Drawing
• Sculpting
• Papier-mâché
• Other visual and dimensional artwork

If you're creating art and it doesn't naturally belong in another category, Artisan is probably where it belongs.

Tinker is where our modern twist really comes into play.

This category is specifically for projects made with newer materials or techniques that may not fit comfortably into one of the other A&S categories.

Examples include:

• Foam
• Plastics
• PVC
• Epoxy
• Other modern materials

The idea is simple: just because something isn't medieval doesn't mean it isn't worth learning, creating, or sharing.

That's Eastwind's twist.

We may have medieval roots, but we live in the modern world.

The A&S Tournament isn't simply about determining who made the “best” thing.

It's an opportunity for villagers to show what they've been working on, learn from other people, ask questions, and discover skills they might want to try themselves.

The categories are deliberately broad because we don't want someone looking at their hobby and thinking, “That doesn't belong here.”

If you're creating, learning, researching, planning, performing, cooking, building, or experimenting, there's a good chance Eastwind has a place for it.

And sometimes the most valuable part of entering isn't the score.

It's being able to stand there, show everyone what you made, and say:

“I made this.”

Our A&S displays can represent many different sides of the village.

A leatherworking project might include bracers or a quiver.

Fine Arts might be represented by garb or an outfit.

Smithing could include something as functional as a chain-mail bag or as delicate as a silver necklace.

Carpentry might be represented by a small wooden person or another woodworking creation.

The point is that there isn't one definition of what an Eastwind artisan looks like.

You might be a leatherworker.

You might be a blacksmith.

You might sew.

You might cook.

You might write.

You might sing.

You might build something from PVC and epoxy that would make a medieval artisan very confused.

There's room for all of it in the village.