12th August 2011, 02:04 PM
ecmgardner Wrote:I've two points:
Surmising an illustrator as 'being able to draw well' is the same as surmising a fieldworker as 'being able to dig a hole'. Illustrators are specialists... it's such a common attitude and really disheartening. Just because our output is graphic doesn't make an illustrator any less of an archaeologist.
So why didn't you contact the IfA and tell them what you thought beforehand? Or did you?
I was specifically trying not to make it sound as if illustration makes someone 'less of an archaeologist' but it's difficult for it to not come out badly. Illustration is a specialism, yes, however, as someone else pointed out you can't be made a MIfA for excavating well (is that a specialism?), you can't be one for being good at survey (is that a specialism? Probably) etc etc. You are supposed to be a MIfA on account of a high level of responsibilty for projects, bringing them to completion and so forth, which could include any of those things in a wider context but not by themselves. So is it not just as disheartening for someone who spends 10 years 'just' surveying and thus not able to be a MIfA, or someone who spends 20 years digging perfect posthole sections and thus not getting to be a MIfA? This has probably strayed from the thread slightly now...
As for contacting the IfA. I foolishly assumed that because the AAIS was polling its members on the issue the IfA were going to do the same. Silly me! Next thing I head it was done and dusted and going through, by which time it was a bit late.