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| Full membership and Assessments |
Full members of the AAI&S are those who have submitted a portfolio of their work to an Assessment panel. The candidate is interviewed and their work examined and critically assessed by the panel. Those who have passed assessment have demonstrated that they have a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail. They can depict a subject aesthetically without detracting from or distorting the archaeological evidence. They have their own style of work and the technical expertise to execute a particular brief. They are familiar with the range of conventions used in archaeological work and have the knowledge to apply them appropriately. They are able to prepare work for publication or presentation appropriately, and have demonstrated composition and layout skills. |
The assessment procedure is therefore structured and rigorous. Attainment of full membership shows that a candidate is amongst the most skilled professionals in their field. Such members are rightly entitled to append the letters MAAIS after their name. A list of the current Full Members of the Association is maintained elsewhere on this website. |
Who is eligible to apply? |
Applicants must already be Licentiate members of the Association. You cannot join directly as a full member. Licentiate membership simply requires a signed declaration from two referees that you have carried out illustration or survey work for them to the standard they require. (Application form here) It follows therefore that applicants for Full Membership will have been working in the field of illustration/survey for some time, will know something about the AAI&S through its newsletter and publications and will already subscribe to the AAI&S Code of Conduct. There is no minimum length of time that you have to serve as a Licentiate before applying for assessment but it is recommended that you learn something about the Association and its expected standards through attending conferences and talking to fellow members before considering assessment. |
How do I apply for Assessment? |
Contact the AAI&S Assessments Officer via central mailing or admin@aais.org.uk. The Assessments officer will send you an application form and a checklist of the type of work you will be including in your portfolio. Return both of these to the Assessments officer with your CV. You will also receive a ‘Guide for Applicants’ information sheet that may tell you more about the actual procedures. |
What should I include in my portfolio? |
Your portfolio should consist of a collection of original artwork, accompanied by copies of the finished publication, or good quality copies of the work at the intended publication scale. If it is not possible to bring original artwork then good quality copies of the original work at the working size will suffice. You will be asked how a piece of work was produced and therefore it is often a good idea to bring along pencil drawings or drafts or survey records for at least one of your portfolio projects to demonstrate this. |
| The panel will need to be satisfied with the consistency and development of your work so you should bring along at least five examples of the type of work you wish to be assessed on, for example five groups of small finds, and/or five survey projects, five pieces of reconstruction artwork and so on. |
When will the Assessment be held? |
The dates for Assessment Panels depend entirely on the number and availability of applicants, the availability of a suitable venue and the availability of members to make up the panel. As soon as a date can be set, you will be contacted by the assessments officer and asked to confirm your attendance. Bear in mind that the assessments officer will need time to write to and receive references for you so it may not be possible to accept a candidate for a set assessment panel date at short notice. |
Who will assess my work? |
| The Panel will consist of the Assessments Officer and at least two Full members of the Association. There will also be one external assessor from outside the Association. The ‘areas of work for assessment’ checklist you will have sent in will allow the Assessments Officer to select panel members who are familiar with the type of work you will be bringing. Thus, for example, a panel made up of reconstruction artists would not assess a surveyor and vice versa. |
What happens on the day of the Assessment? |
The candidate will be given a time for the start of their assessment. At that time, the candidate will be invited in, introduced to the panel and asked to go through their portfolio in discussion with the panel. The candidate should regard this as a discussion with your professional colleagues and peers on the methods, presentation and quality of your work. After the interview the candidate will be asked to leave the room while the panel discusses their views of the work. The candidate will then be invited back into the room to hear the outcome of the assessment and given any feedback from the panel. |
After the Assessment. |
Successful candidates will be awarded their certificate and added to the list of Full members of the Association. They are entitled to append the letters MAAIS after their name and titles. Successful candidates are required to submit examples of their work for publication in the AAI&S newsletter. A4 copies of some of their portfolio are also required by the assessments officer to form an archive of the type of work being assessed. |
Unsuccessful candidates will be informed of the reasons by the panel and advised on where they need to improve. Failure on one occasion does not preclude reapplication on a future date and will have no bearing on any subsequent assessment. |
Postal Assessments. |
| Those applicants who cannot attend an assessment in the UK may apply for assessment by post. The panel will require good quality copies of their work rather than risk losing original work in the post but will require in addition, a written dissertation on each piece of work submitted, describing how the work was commissioned, prepared and executed, how and why particular decisions were made and methods or techniques used. Write to the assessments officer or fuller information depending on the type of work you would like to have assessed. |
