The annual Arts On Fire festival was held at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art on Saturday with unique exhibitions from a variety of art forms.
But this year, a new type of artistry fought its way into this year's lineup: sword fighting.
Stationed in the middle of the lawn was the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), a group of actors who re-enact middle age and Renaissance-period events, like armored combat.
Sword fighters release their creative energy by battling in heavy, handcrafted armor.
SCA Newcomers’ Liaison Angee Steir explained the process sword-fighters go through to learn how to fight.
“These guys actually are authorized fighters. You have to go through a little bit of training with other authorized fighters to learn how to do it safely,” Steir said.
The craft work and skill that goes into the performance is what makes sword fighting an art.
“Making the armor is definitely an art form. These guys spend hours every week at fighter practice learning how to do this, learning how to do it safely and how to do it well,” Steir said.
If you'd like to try your hand at sword fighting or armor making, you can check out the Great Falls SCA chapter, Shire of Stan Wyrm, on
their Facebook page
to find out when they will meet next.
