{"id":1869,"date":"2015-11-17T21:26:59","date_gmt":"2015-11-17T21:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/?p=1869"},"modified":"2015-11-18T22:10:46","modified_gmt":"2015-11-18T22:10:46","slug":"the-new-world-fantasy-award-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/2015\/11\/17\/the-new-world-fantasy-award-whats-next\/","title":{"rendered":"The New World Fantasy Award: What’s Next?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p> $\"PICACIOworldfantasy\"$ <\/a>\n

The World Fantasy Convention\u2019s board of trustees has decided to evolve their award from a bust of H.P. Lovecraft (crafted by Gahan Wilson) to a brand-new, yet-undecided design. There\u2019s been a ton of debate and reaction to this topic<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bottom line: I applaud the WF board on their decision and I\u2019m looking forward to what\u2019s next for this award.\u00a0So yeah \u2014 what\u00a0IS\u00a0next? Decisions, decisions\u2026..<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing \u2014 often, the\u00a0key to making a good decision is first\u00a0asking the right question<\/em>.<\/p>\n

We\u00a0can all watch random people lobbing ideas and concepts, seeking\u00a0answers for the award\u2019s new design that best endorse\u00a0their pet interests. You\u2019ve probably already seen some. Not surprisingly, many of these ideas\u00a0spring from a very Eurocentric view of fantasy that seems a bit tone-deaf to a shifting ethnic and cultural spectrum amongst audience and creators alike.\u00a0Some advocate for a favorite fantasy form that makes\u00a0them feel nostalgic \u2014 a dragon, an elf, a green man, for instance. Others advocate that the award should resemble a person\u00a0that perhaps makes them feel comfortable, or reflects themselves.<\/p>\n

These responses seem myopic and panicked, borne of an unspoken open question: \u201cWhat should the award look like?\u201d<\/p>\n

If I were a decision maker in this process (and THANK GHOD, I\u2019m not)<\/em>, I would offer that\u2019s NOT the right question to ask right now, and thus, it\u2019s no surprise that the answers so far are less than optimal. In fact, unless you\u2019re a\u00a0professional sculptor, you\u2019re\u00a0probably not the most qualified to find the \u2018answer\u2019. I\u2019m not either. I\u2019m a working professional illustrator and a storyteller who keeps trying to be a better artist every day, but I\u2019m not<\/em> a professional sculptor. And thus, I\u2019m probably not as qualified to conceive and create this sculpture as an artist who does sculpt for a living. However, my job as an illustrator does require me to be a strong problem-solver, and that means knowing how to ask good questions.<\/p>\n

Thus, here\u2019s some brief advice I can offer the\u00a0decision makers, and to all who share my interest\u00a0in the future of this award:<\/p>\n

1. THE FIRST QUESTION NEEDS TO BE THE RIGHT ONE.<\/strong> In this case, I would offer that the first question should not be, \u201cHey, World: what do you think this award should look like?\u201d The first question should be, \u201cWho\u00a0are the best sculptors and who is the sculptor that can best elevate\u00a0this award toward\u00a0a new timeless icon? Who can carry this responsibility? Who can take us to a place we could not have imagined on our own?\u201d<\/em> The same respect that is given to a great novelist should be given to a great sculptor here.<\/p>\n

The sculptor of this award needs to be an artist, first and foremost \u2014 someone who solves problems, conceives original thoughts, has unique insights, and visually communicates\u00a0those thoughts, insights, emotions and intangibles\u00a0into tangible form.\u00a0If the plan is to take a straw poll of the most popular and familiar\u00a0symbols and word pictures, or to concoct a preordained vision and then hire some poor sap to carefully\u00a0sculpt to that prescription, then please hire a pharmacist, not a professional artist. However, the World Fantasy Award can do\u00a0better than that, and I\u2019m hoping it will. If I were a decision maker in this process, I would be sky-high\u00a0excited\u00a0about the amazing creative (and branding) opportunity\u00a0ahead, and I would be vigorously searching for the right sculptor to cast a new icon, rather than casting\u00a0a fishing line praying\u00a0to hook an idea.<\/p>\n

The making of this icon is the\u00a0kind of job that visual artists are uniquely qualified to do. I most trust an artist to do this job of researching, idea-making, conceiving and creating a new visual icon \u2014 just as I most trust a surgeon to operate on me, or an architect to design a house, rather than the other way around. \u00a0This is a job for a\u00a0visual\u00a0artist who professionally sculpts, not a committee, not a straw poll of writers, readers, and historians. In short \u2014 the sculptor\u00a0making the award should decide what the best idea is, what it looks like, and then present that form to the decision makers for them to decide if it\u2019s \u2018the one\u2019.<\/p>\n

The single most important question facing this award right now: \u201cWho is that sculptor?\u201d<\/p>\n

In my opinion \u2014 asking\u00a0this question, and doing the requisite selection work, is the key\u00a0mission for the award\u2019s decision makers.<\/p>\n

2) CHOOSING THE SCULPTOR.<\/strong>\u00a0Creating this award is a job<\/em>\u00a0\u2013and\u00a0wow, THAT\u2019S an understatement! \ud83d\ude09 It should be a paid gig \u2014 probably a well-paid one considering the stakes, the importance of the result, and the rights involved. In contrast, an \u2018open call for ideas\u2019 that preys upon artists to generate work for free, even if they\u2019re just sketches, would be ill-advised and bad PR, and I would advocate that no professional\u00a0artist should answer that call and undercut their own livelihood. The ideas are the job, just as much as the final sculpt. I would caution against giving those ideas away publicly, even if it\u2019s to drum up popular momentum. This isn\u2019t a popular election, after all. It\u2019s a job, and most of us are not\u00a0official components of the job\u2019s process.\u00a0\u00a0Instead, I think the best thing that we can all do (decision makers, creators, and readers alike) is educate ourselves on the pool of working sculptors that are out there \u2014 and promote them.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

a) If I was a decision maker, I would scour the last few years of SPECTRUM: THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY FANTASTIC ART<\/a> and the INFECTED BY ART<\/a> annuals. I would research the last six or seven years of Chesley Award nominees in the Three-Dimensional category<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In fact, to all who are commenting via social media\u00a0and campaigning for ideas \u2014 the best thing we can do to further this process is advocate for sculptor(s) that we\u00a0think\u00a0are\u00a0best suited for the job \u2014 and try to articulate why. Shift your energy from firing shots in the dark about pet concepts, and instead boost the visibility of worthy sculptors. Link to their websites and their social media. Share some of your favorite images of their work.<\/p>\n

b) Again, putting myself in a decision maker\u2019s shoes \u2014 I would ask myself, \u201cWhat are the questions that best lead me to the right sculptor for this job?\u201d Here are a few questions that might help along the way:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Does the sculptor\u2019s work largely represent their own imagination or does it represent someone else\u2019s?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Does the sculptor\u2019s work surprise? Does it invent? Does the sculptor\u2019s work have a history of making forms and icons that haven\u2019t quite been seen like that before?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Does the sculptor\u2019s work have the ability to be universal, or does it seem to reflect a limited cultural and ethnic viewpoint? Can this sculptor create an icon with a large enough ideological umbrella to\u00a0not just<\/em> include\u00a0the world, but embrace it and elevate it?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Does the sculptor\u2019s work show\u00a0the ability to problem-solve a variety of contexts? Is their work all literal? Is it all abstract? Is\u00a0that artist capable of expressing within both realms? Does the sculptor\u2019s\u00a0approach to the job propagate his or her own brand\u00a0more than it creates a unique brand for the award?<\/p>\n

\u2022 Does the sculptor design their own work and then have someone ELSE cast it? Or does the sculptor design AND cast their own work from start to finish? This may be a very important production question for the board as they narrow down their sculptor choices.<\/p>\n

3) BUILDING THE BEAST.<\/strong> I think once the decision makers have chosen\u00a0their\u00a0sculptor, I suggest that the next\u00a0most important mission is shaping an environment where\u00a0the\u00a0artist is free to\u00a0propose original\u00a0ideas, problem-solve, and sculpt the final award, shielded from preordained ideas and agendas. This isn\u2019t just what\u2019s good for the sculptor. It\u2019s about getting the most value from the artist during the course of the process. What comes out of the sculptor\u2019s head is as important as what comes out of his or her hands. The sculptor will probably want to dialogue with the board as the process evolves, and that will likely be one of the most crucial\u00a0parts of the whole endeavor.<\/p>\n

This is brave new frontier. This is what artists live for. My\u00a0sincere best wishes to the sculptor selected for this job and to the decision makers involved, and in closing, I\u2019ll offer a few sculptor suggestions for consideration for this job. What are yours?<\/p>\n

VINCENT VILLAFRANCA:<\/a><\/p>\n

$\"VINCENTVILLAFRANCA\"$ <\/a><\/p>\n

If this decision were in my hands, this would be the sculptor I would choose. His work consistently innovates. It invents. It can be literal. It can be abstract. It can be both. He has the restless imagination that searches for new ideas and forms\u00a0that elevate. He has experience dealing with the pressure of awards-making, having designed one of the most celebrated\u00a0trophy bases in Hugo Awards history. He creates his own work from start to finish \u2014 from birthing the idea\u00a0to final bronze, casting everything himself.<\/p>\n

VIRGINIE ROPARS:<\/a><\/p>\n

$\"VIRGINIE\"$ <\/a>Her ethereal and haunting work seems\u00a0to own the Spectrum annual\u2019s 3D category every year.<\/p>\n

THE SHIFLETT BROTHERS:<\/a><\/p>\n

$\"SHIFLETTS\"$ <\/a>These guys do stunning<\/em> work. Master creature makers.<\/p>\n

CHARLES VESS:<\/a><\/p>\n

$\"The$ <\/a><\/p>\n

He\u2019s a four-time World Fantasy Award winner. He\u2019s designed small sculptures and big ones. If he\u2019s selected to sculpt the new one, and wins a fifth World Fantasy Award,\u00a0would he get to award himself with his own sculpture? \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Those are a few thoughts. Please share your own. Brainstorm. Explore. Discover. Share. Who would you like to see sculpt the new World Fantasy Award?<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The World Fantasy Convention\u2019s board of trustees has decided to evolve their award from a bust of H.P. Lovecraft (crafted by Gahan Wilson) to a brand-new, yet-undecided design. There\u2019s been a ton of debate and reaction to this topic. Bottom line: I applaud the WF board on their decision and I\u2019m looking forward to what\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1874,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"The New World Fantasy Award: What's Next?","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[85,1],"tags":[134,171,169,170,168,13],"class_list":["post-1869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-awards","category-conventions","tag-charles-vess","tag-the-shiflett-brothers","tag-vincent-villafranca","tag-virginie-ropars","tag-world-fantasy-award","tag-world-fantasy-convention"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/PICACIOworldfantasy.jpg?fit=1000%2C1610","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5te7x-u9","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1869"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1887,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1869\/revisions\/1887"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/johnpicacio.com\/onthefront\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}