Proposed AAI&S and IfA merger

[ecmgardner]

For anyone interested in archaeological illustration and survey. There is a proposal under discussion for the AAI&S (Association of Archaeological Illustrators and Surveyors) to merge with the IfA.

The proposal is being discussed and will be put to the membership of AAI&S at their AGM during the AAI&S conference due to be held in Lancaster at the beginning of September. Voting will probably be conducted by a postal ballot just after the conference.

As this is in a consultation period, now is the time to start a discussion and add some feedback into the process.

Some of the details I have are that if you have passed the full portfolio assessment and interview for MAAI&S you will automatically have your membership transferred to the IfA as MIfA. If you are a Licentiate member of AAI&S you will automatically be transferred to PIfA with an option to upgrade in the normal way.

If you're a member or not a member of either (or both) organisation, then please still do get involved in the discussions - especially as reasons for not joining as just as important here as joining!

To declare my interests - I am a member of the AAI&S council and feedback and discussions will be reported back to the council to try and make this as constructive a consultation as possible. If you'd like to add anything anonomously then please feel free to e-mail me and all comments will be in confidence.

-Liz

[vulpes]

Surely this proposal should also be put to IfA members?

They may not want AAI&S to merge with them.

[vulpes]

Additonally, where is your email address for those that may want to email you?

Or do you mean PM?

[RedEarth]

Surely this proposal should also be put to IfA members?

They may not want AAI&S to merge with them.

Indeed, especially as transferrrance to MIfA from MAAIS might be deemed as a short cut by some...

[Unitof1]

[SIZE=3]There is a proposal under discussion for the AAI&S (Association of Archaeological Illustrators and Surveyors) to merge with the IfA.

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AAI&SIFA

IFAAAI&S

IF&SIAAA

Consonant please Carol

they don’t use two of the AAAs

A&IFIS


Association and Institute For Illustrators and Surveyors

There is a good chance that surveyors don’t think that they have any relationship with illustrators and probably are more geologist orientated

Association & Institute For Illustrators

A&IFI

Good on them. Do my own drawings, but they sound more useful that the IFA

is it a merger, more like a roll over and die

[BAJR]

is it a merger, more like a roll over and die

Thats my thoughts

(personal of course)

I am MAAIS and I was MIFA so this is no shortcut, indeed the requirements were more personal, with me having to present work and then go to a panel and present my case.

[ecmgardner]

As far as I know the IfA weren't going to put it to their membership, and there wouldn't be a change of name (again) for the IfA.

e-mail address is: ecmgardner@gmail.com

For full membership of AAI&S you have to show full proficiency and experience in your chosen area of illustration and/or survey, submit a portfolio and undertake an assessment interview with a panel. You also have to submit a sample of your drawings for publication in the AAI&S newsletter 'Graphic Archaeology'. You cannot apply to join the association at full membership level, you have to be a Licentiate first.

You couldn't and I believe shouldn't assess an illustrator on the same blanket criteria as a field archaeologist - the same for an osteologist or any other specialist. It doesn't mean an archaeological illustrator is any less of an archaeologist. However, it's a good point and one suggestion put forward in discussion is that there should be some kind of sub-division of IfA membership if this was to go through to denote whether you're a specialist or a field archaeologist.

I'd love to nail my colours to the mast but my trouble is I'm undecided myself and am trying to stay that way so I can stay firmly perched on the fence while talking to people about the whole suggestion but here are my current thoughts. Forgive the stream of consciousness:

I can see the advantage of as an illustrator having it finally recognised through being a MIfA (which the old IfA system would never have let me get to.. despite being self-employed with my own client base etc etc) that I am in fact a specialist with a skill I have worked hard at with 8 years of experience from fieldwork to the drawing desk.

On the other hand, that's exactly what the AAI&S strives to do and becoming just another sub-division of the IfA, are we going to loose that ability to stand up and be counted separately in that way? From an AAI&S council member's perpective, we're all volunteers and most of us very busy - even given the current economic climate. Finding time for the admin which prevents the association from moving forward in other ways would no longer be a problem because of the full time administrative support the IfA has. (For example, I try to maintain the website but alongside working I have a 1 year old son and am six and a half months pregnant with number 2. Paid work and my family come first and the website is woefully inadequate, but there's no-one else who's stepped forward to help...crack out the violins ;o)

Then again, there are many people with vaild negative experiences of IfA who would opt completely out if the AAI&S merged and that's not going to be constructive...

Frankly I dunno.

[BAJR]

THis is a good debate to be had... and indeed it could be an argument for any other group becoming a 'part' of teh IfA is it possible to be an MAAIS and a MIFA .. yes... ok, it costs... if I had to choose.... I am an archaeologist and an illustrator and SUrveyor (though to be honest I am a better surveyor ) the membership criteria is stringent and peer reviewed .. I was shaking in my boots when I went for Membership !

There are pros and cons... and I would dearly like to know the benefit.. and fear the loss of identity for illustrators (like myself and ecmg ) I was a member of teh buildings group in teh IfA and that seems to be quite strong... but not so sure what happens... all the specila interst groups seem to be swamped by corporate commercial archaeology... am I wrong? convince me. and Vulpes... ask the IfA is you don't think the AAI&S should be subsumed. I know the reaction of the IHBC was negative. but as said above... the admin can be tough... the question is... would it be better after?

[troll]

Field Archaeologists have for years been trying to encourage the IFA to see them as specialists and have failed miserably. The IFA are an organisation seen by many to be absolutely pointless, sycophantic and without any legal standing. The organisation dealt with the thorny and embarrassing issue of seeing Field Archaeologists as mere peasant labourers by simply removing the word "Field" from their trading name. If the AAI&S really need to merge.....have a good, long and hard look at the competition first! :face-approve:

[RedEarth]

Thats my thoughts

(personal of course)

I am MAAIS and I was MIFA so this is no shortcut, indeed the requirements were more personal, with me having to present work and then go to a panel and present my case.

That's fair enough, but hardly seems to be comparing like with like. In fact, the more the IfA broadens its remit the less the different levels mean anything. Why should a sh1t hot digger/GIS specialist/DBAer/whatever not be able to present a portfolio of their work, sit in front of a panel and be assessed on their own merits? Of course that would be pretty difficult for many other people - would a digger present their best context sheets, sections, and most worn trowel? This way it is making some things a genuine specialty with privileges and reducing others.

I quite respected the AAIS as a group that meaningfully represented (as far as could tell from the outside) a specialist group that would find it difficult to be compared elsewhere. In fact, I probably envied it too by comparison to membership of the IfA. Not any more. Why do they want to debase themselves and why are IfA member's not being consulted? I am one so i could probably find out but the IfA doesn't have a handy forum to ask questions on!