Application for Membership: Associate or Signature

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Your artwork should be original and not copied from other artists, published material, or photographs not taken by yourself. All manner of subjects and styles may be submitted from traditional to contemporary. Whatever the style, there should be a consistency of artistry among the five images. All images should be of high photographic quality. Your artwork should not be done in a school or in the presence of an instructor. The medium must be traditional dry pastel, not oil pastel. If you use an underpainting, the surface must be 80 percent pastel.

The pastels shown on the submitted images are entirely my own original work.


HOW DID YOU HEAR OF PSA? (Please circle all that apply)

PSA Membership Application Guidelines:

  • Starting January 1, 2020, individuals may apply for Associate or Signature membership status one time only per year. Multiple applications during a 12-month period will not be considered by the membership committee.
  • Application form must be filled out in its entirely. Only online applications will be accepted.
  • You must include five images of your work to be considered for membership.
    Images must meet the following strict file size requirements. Images must be at least 1200 pixels on the longest side. Each file must be under 5 MB.
    Files should be saved as last name_first initial_title (no spaces between words).jpg. Example: Wright_J_SunflowerNo2.jpg.

    Your application is being judged largely on your work, so make sure the images meet the criteria for judging

  • An application fee of $20 must be paid by PayPal at the time of submitting the application. After your application is submitted you will be directed to a page to complete the payment. Applications that do not include payment will be delayed and may miss the judging deadline and/or will have to be resubmitted.
  • International Applications: Membership entries submitted through an international art broker, art gallery, art association or second party of any kind will be disqualified and therefore not processed. Fees are not refundable. A PSA member cannot submit an application on behalf of another artist under any circumstances. Each artist must have their own unique email address as well as their own personal PayPal account in order for the application to be processed. PSA only accepts payment via PayPal.

Notification: Images are juried by the PSA Membership Committee regularly. You will be notified by email of jury’s decision as to membership status: Associate Member, Signature Member, or not accepted.

Dues and Fees: If you have been juried as a new member you will be billed accordingly depending on your new membership status as follows:

Associate Member: $60 dues + $100 initiation fee (one-time expense)

Signature Membership: $75 dues + $100 initiation fee (one-time expense)

 

Pastel Society of America is a not-for-profit organization – 501 (c) (3)

PSA Signature Membership shall be granted to artists who meet these criteria:

  • Artists whose paintings could be seriously considered for inclusion in the Annual
  • Artists from whom the jury would like to see more paintings
  • Artists whose work demonstrates an understanding of the basic principles of composition
  • Artists who understand color in terms of hue, value, and intensity
  • Artists whose paintings reveal evidence of knowing how to draw
  • Artists whose paintings skillfully combine composition, color, technique, and subject matter in a manner that conveys a sense of individuality
  • Artists who choose subject matter that would not be categorized as “cliché”
  • Artists whose paintings suggest a point of view
  • Artists who may not have had a formal art education, but whose work suggests that they have looked at and studied painting
  • Artists who submit work that demonstrates realistic critical awareness as to what they have/haven’t accomplished