IfA/AAIS merger

[ShadowJack]

Completely agree with your sentiments, although the AAI&S no longer exists - I think in the long run, it is going to be damanging to the profession...

[Unitof1]

what was the vote count?

[Dinosaur]

Presumably IFA would like to absorb any organisation that would bump up its membership in support of its Charter ambitions, whether it's in the interest of the absorbed organisation or not? Suspect the AAIS would have been far better off in the long run staying seperate and following its own path. I'd imagine the IFA leadership couldn't really give a t**s about the more 'artistic' end of the profession (and will doubtless do nothing about the simply awful finds drawings etc. that many IFA members seem happy to publish), and the former AAIS membership will simply become another 'special interest group' like diggers are :face-stir:

[BAJR]

I will make a couple of points... First I was against the merger, and wrote an article about the case against. However, the end result was a victory for apathy ( again) few votes

However, it has happened, and so must be accepted and move on.

I am an illustrator, surveyor and field archaeologist, so Uo1's comments make me laugh (sadly-- I am laughing at him! ) I, like so many other illustrators are digital as well, though we still know how to wield a pen or pencil. Also as has been said, it is better to get someone whoe knows how to do it... rather than someone who thinks they can.

My question would be... Will the IfA return to Areas of Competence?

[Boxoffrogs]

Life goes on regardless, the IFA WILL rule the world (of archaeology) and all the flowers will bloom and the condem's will eat themselves...

[Sith]

Will the IfA return to Areas of Competence?

I oftem wish that they would. The only problem is that it will no doubt still be mostly self-policed but with much more paperwork to fill in than before.

[ecmgardner]

Vote count - as sent in a letter to all members of AAI&S 158 ballots in total; 2 returned with wrong address, 71 not-returned by members, 62 for the merger, 23 against the merger... motion carried by a majority vote of 39.

So with only a 53% turnout I have to agree that it was apathy that was behind this merger, although I'm not sure 'merger' is the right term. The AAI&S voted "To dissolve the Association of Archaeological Illustrators & Surveyors and to transfer all
assets and liabilities to the Institute of Field Archaeologists (trading as the Institute for Archaeologists)". I think the Chair of the ISSIG at the IfA is a safe pair of hands to try and keep some of the AAI&S's identity going, especially as he has also been Chair of the AAI&S in the past but.... I'm still sceptical as I think the AAI&S was a different organisation for a reason and it remains to be seen if that identity can survive within the IfA.

Wonder if it'll be the usual suspects at the ISSIG?

[kevin wooldridge]

I personally am in favour of this merger if only for the fact that it helps in demonstrating that archaeologists can be multi-skilled without having to declare themselves as single subject specialists.

I see it as the archaeological equivalent of the Judean Peoples Front merging with the Peoples Front for Judea.....now we just need to identify the common enemy!!

[Wax]

I am with Shadow Jack......
The profession could do with more than just the IFA as a group to represent archaeologists. For a wide variety of reasons not least their constant failure to stand up for us in the current "death by a thousand cuts" environment. Comes to something when the National Trust is more outspoken than the IFA:face-stir:

[chiz]

Wax, just where has the IfA constantly failed 'to stand up for us' on the cuts issue? People keep saying this but its not something I recognise. What exactly do you think they are doing at the moment? There's a lot wrong with the IfA, and I'm in there trying to get that changed along with the rest of the Diggers' Forum, but Pete Hinton et al are lobbying hard to keep developer funded archaeology in existance. Have a look on their news page and you'll see some of what the ifa staff are doing to defend heritage from cuts: from writing to councils and ministers, to providing factsheets on what archaeology is worth economically so people can write letters, to responding to all the potential changes to legislation. But those who don't want to see it won't see it. I had an email from a mate complaining about how the IfA had done nothing about Fengate, when I pointed out the IfA wrote to the council the next day the complaint was changed to be that they didn't publicise their letter -it was on their website...oh, and putting a 'stirring' smiley after your post doesn't mean you are being clever or mysterious

If all the ranters on here actually got off their butts and actually DID something to make archaeology a better profession we might have something a bit better. Keyboard warriors all bitching and sniping, its so predictable I could write your posts for you! The reason archaeology is in a mess is because of all of us. Noone can be arsed to do anything to improve it, they'd rather sit around scratching their arses and writing shite. When David tried to get his Federation going noone could be arsed, when he tried to get you to unionise, noone could be arsed, when the DF try and get people onto IfA council so we can vote in minima rises, noone can be arsed to vote. You have all got the profession you deserve. Well done. !

Re the AAI&S and the ISSIG, the most daft thing to me was the AAI&S committee seemed to think that the IfA would suddenly provide money and time to take over the roles of committee. From my participation in the Diggers' Forum I know that while the IfA staff are really helpful and work very hard to help, you still need a group of dedicated committee members to run the group. I am apparently a member of the ISSIG yet have never recieved a newsletter or email from them. As far as I can tell the group effectively doesn't exist at the moment -because noone has the time or inclination to do anything for everyone else. Since the AAI&S members don't have the time to run the AAI&S, how will they suddenly find the time to run the ISSIG? Or are they expecting the existing ISSIG members (who don't appear to currently do anything as a group) to do it for them?