The International Federation of Vexillological Associations (French: Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques; FIAV) is an international federation[4] of 53 regional, national, and multinational associations and institutions across the globe that study vexillology, which FIAV defines in its constitution as "the creation and development of a body of knowledge about flags of all types, their forms and functions, and of scientific theories and principles based on that knowledge."[5]
 The flag of the FIAV[1] | |
| Formation | 7 September 1969 |
|---|---|
| Type | International association |
| Headquarters | Houston, Texas, U.S. London, England, UK[1] |
Membership | 51 associations and institutions[2] |
Official languages | English, French, German, Spanish[1] |
| Željko Heimer[3] | |
| Website | fiav |
History edit
The study of flags, or vexillology, was formalised by Whitney Smith in 1957.[6] He then moved to organize various flag organisations and meetings including the first International Congress of Vexillology[6] in 1965[7] and International Federation of Vexillological Associations.[6]
The FIAV was provisionally organized on 3 September 1967, at the Second International Congress of Vexillology held in Rüschlikon, Switzerland, and officially created on 7 September 1969, at the Third International Congress of Vexillology held in Boston, Massachusetts, US. The vexillological symbols were created by vexillologist Whitney Smith and then adopted by the FIAV in the early 1970s.[8]
Governance edit
FIAV has a three-person Board consisting of a President, Secretary-General, and Secretary-General for Congresses.[1] The Board manages the current affairs of FIAV and convenes the biennial sessions of the General Assembly,[1] which are held during each International Congress of Vexillology.[9] The FIAV General Assembly is composed of a delegate from each of FIAV's members. The General Assembly elects the Board and is responsible for setting policy.[1]
Officers edit
The current members of the FIAV Board are:
- Željko Heimer (President)
- Bruce Berry (Secretary–General)
- Graham Bartram (Secretary–General for Congresses)[3]
Past officers edit
Office of FIAV President was previously held by:
- Louis Mühlemann, 1969 to 1973 (Honorary President from 1973 until 1988+)
Switzerland - Ottfried Neubecker, 1973 to 1981
Germany - Hugh Boudin, 1981 to 1993
Belgium - William G. Crampton, 1993 to 1997 (died in office)
UK - Michel R. Lupant, 1997 to 2019
Belgium
Members edit
Current members of FIAV are:[2]
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International Congresses of Vexillology edit
The International Congress of Vexillology is a week long biennial conference. A Congress consists of vexillology presentations, FIAV's General Assembly and flag display tours.[9]
Since 1969, FIAV has sponsored the biennial International Congresses of Vexillology (ICV) with assistance of a local organizing committee.[10] The Congresses have been held in:
- Muiderberg, Netherlands (1965)
- Zürich and Rüschlikon (1967)
- Boston (1969)
- Turin (1971)
- London (1973)
- IJsselmeer (1975)
- Washington, D.C. (1977)
- Vienna (1979)
- Ottawa (1981)
- Oxford (1983)
- Madrid (1985)
- San Francisco (1987)
- Melbourne (1989)
- Barcelona (1991)
- Zürich (1993)
- Warsaw (1995)
- Cape Town (1997)
- Victoria, British Columbia (1999)
- York (2001)
- Stockholm (2003)
- Buenos Aires (2005)
- Berlin (2007)
- Yokohama (2009)
- Washington, D.C. (2011)
- Rotterdam (2013)
- Sydney (2015)
- London (2017)[11]
- San Antonio (2019)[12]
- Ljubljana (2022)[13]
ICV 30 is planned to be held in Beijing (China) in 2024.
FIAV flag edit
The FIAV flag was initially designed by Klaes Sierksma and slightly modified by the organizing committee of the Second International Congress of Vexillology. The flag was introduced on 3 September 1967. Its description is, "On a blue field, extending horizontally from hoist to fly, two yellow halyards forming two interlaced loops." The knot formed is a sheet bend. The color blue is defined as Pantone Matching System U293 and the color yellow is defined as Pantone Matching System U123. Flags for the three officers were approved in 1999, having been designed by the former FIAV president, William Crampton.[14]
FIAV Honours and Medals edit
Many awards and medals are given out to members of the FIAV or members of an FIAV associated Organization for various reasons.[15] The two medals that come with post-nominals are the LAUREATES OF THE FEDERATION who get LF and the FELLOWS OF THE FEDERATION who get FF.
Notes edit
- ^ Defunct since April 4, 2013
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "FIAV Constitution". FIAV. 2009-09-11. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ a b "FIAV Membership List". FIAV. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ a b "FIAV Officers". FIAV. 2009-09-11. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ "About vexillology". Vexillology. The Flag Institute. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ "FIAV home page". Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Vulliamy, Elsa (December 15, 2015). "Which flag is it? Take our quiz to find out". The Independent. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ "Consider Vexillology". SemiotiX. Semioticon. May 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "FIAV Flag Information Symbols". www.crwflags.com. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ a b Koziol, Michael (September 1, 2015). "World experts fly the flag in Sydney". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ Mercer, Phil (14 July 2015). "What do our flags say about us?". www.bbc.com. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- ^ "ICV27 - London 2017". 27th International Congress of Vexillology. Flag Institute. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
- ^ Biediger, Shari (July 4, 2019). "Dixie Flag Stitches Banners with Pride and Patriotism". Rivard Report. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
- ^ "ICV29 - Ljubljana 2022". 29th International Congress of Vexillology. Heraldica Slovenica. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
- ^ "FIAV - Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques". Flags of the World. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 2013-08-27.
- ^ "Awards and Honors". North American Vexillological Association. Archived from the original on Aug 17, 2021.