The requirements, most likely copyright the BSA but boosted from here, though it was here that I confirmed the number.letter notation -- thousands of blue cards will burn patterns into your skull.
- Tell a story with a picture or pictures or using a 3-D rendering.
- Do ONE of the following
- Design something useful. Make a sketch or model of your design and get your counselor's approval before you proceed. Then create a promotional piece for the item using a picture or pictures.
- Design a logo. Share your design with your counselor and explain the significance of your logo. Then, with your parent's permission and your counselor's approval, put your logo on Scout equipment, furniture, ceramics, or fabric.
Render a subject of your choice in FOUR of these ways:
- Pen and ink
- Watercolors
- Pencil
- Pastel
- Oil paints
- Tempera
- Acrylics
- Charcoal
- Computer drawing or painting
With your parent's permission and your counselor's approval, visit a museum, art exhibit, art gallery, artists' co-op, or artist's workshop. Find out about the art displayed or created there. Discuss what you learn with your counselor. Find out about three career opportunities in art. Pick one and find out the education, training, and experience required for this profession. Discuss this with your counselor, and explain why this profession might interest you.
I post this list because I think a lot of people know what merit badges are in a loose sense -- awards Boy Scouts earn -- but not why or how. Each badge has a list of activities that must be performed in order to demonstrate enough merit to earn the badge.
I believe the Handicraft department I once led now teaches Art -- I remember being surprised that not only was the sign I had created back in the 90s still in use but the sheer number of amendments to the program. They were teaching at least four times as many things it seems. When I was department head we continued a fairly longstanding tradition of firm requirements. If the manual said carve a neckerchief slide, unless it slid on a neckerchief things would not go well. Carved sticks need not apply.
Today I feel about the same way: the materials are a syllabus but this is not college. In college if you have two projects for two classes due, professors generally dislike any admission that you have turned in one project twice. They want your -work-. Here, we are judging on merit: have you indeed done enough to be certified in this field? Given the right lifestyle an Eagle Scout would only have to demonstrate well in certain exams and interviews to be granted his award: little in the way of additional "work" should be required.
This is neither the case nor is it much in the tradition of Scouting. It is a hobby organization foremost: lets do Some Things with our time. However, any young student of the arts could conceivably perform all the tasks required for the merit badge in class. Would that count?
I'm sure there's some policy, but as we're juding Merit in my book. I would go so far as to say that if a Scout brought in -one- project for requirement 3 of this merit badge that specifically blew my mind and used four formats, I'd definately accept that as fulfillment of the requirement at large. The book clearly says nothing about the number of subjects. A traditionalist might take the most liberal view of the requirement and demand four pieces. Pen and ink goes together so well with watercolor though that I'd be hard-pressed to give a big thumbs down to a mixed-media format.
These things must be formulated in advance of requirement. A Scout is supposed to have an introductory visit (with guardian or other Scout and I believe Counselor is at no time to be alone with one person, meaning better have wife or roomate around in case Scout #2 decides he really needs to pee) at which time the counselor will describe his or her requirements for the badge. Many counselors teach more than one badge because its little additional work on their part to browse the catalog, pick up a few requirement books and be on their way. There is often judicial form to be followed: a Scout will insist a dab of paint satisfies 3f, a little pastel work will make it. I would strongly prefer four submissions but never cut off some imaginative reinterpretation to back up superlative work.
Rewarding creativity and hard work is what its about.
I've for some time thought about illustrating my own Merit Badges and a quick check shows I'm not alone. I wanted to just run my own Merit Badge counsilage: "Demonstrate to me that you've fulfilled the following requirements, drop me $2 and its yours!" I think most of us have earned "Alcohol Abuse at one time or another. And look -- other people even make the patch!
We occasionally have a high school student drop through. Usually these are serious young men and women who are preparing portfolios and things like that. Are they all 18? Are they supposed to be? Artistic nudity gets passed by, most places...
