What a spectacular evening! Thank you Ozark Pastel Society for coordinating this joint membership show with the Arkansas Pastel Society. Shout out to John Brown University for hosting us in the lovely gallery.

For more information on the Society see our About page.

On December 2nd members met at the home of APS member Anne Parat for the annual Christmas party. Great treats were brought and shared. A short business meeting was held to elect APS officers for 2024. It has become a tradition to hold a drawing for a prize for members who renew their membership or new members who join the day before the annual Christmas party. This year’s drawing winner was Caprise Cooper.

Our National Show was held in November. The Best of Show was won by Dennis McCann for the painting “Looks Like Rain”.

A list and photo of all 2023 National Show winners can be found under Past Exhibitions.

During August of 2023 the Arkansas Pastel Society learned they had been approved to receive one of three global grants awarded by the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS). The chosen project was to work with Seis Puentes Hispanic Outreach, a non-profit organization in North Little Rock

More information about how our grant money was used.

Arkansas Pastel Society’s 2023 non-juried members show recently exhibited at the Thea Foundation
gallery in downtown North Little Rock. This year the Arkansas Pastel Society invited the Ozark
Pastel Society to exhibit with them. It was so successful that we have decided to do it again next
year with the Ozark Pastel Society hosting at John Brown University.

An estimated 400 people attended the reception on July 21. The exhibit featured 40 artists,
17 from OPS and 23 from APS with a total of 74 paintings hanging in the show.

This year people attending the reception were asked to cast a ballot for their favorite painting
in the show for the, “The Peoples’ Choice Award,” won by Margi Tucker of the Ozark Pastel
Society for her painting “Raven Feather.”

The exhibit also featured storyboards which recorded the progression of a painting from start
to finish, live demonstrations and a hands-on pastel experience.

Arkansas Pastel Society Recipient of Global Grant from the International Association of Pastel Societies.
APS has received one of three international grants awarded by the International Association of Pastel Societies in the amount of $1,000 each. APS will be partnering with Seis Puentes in North Little Rock, AR, a non-profit whose mission is to build a bridge between Hispanic communities and general life in Arkansas through education, information, and resources. APS will conduct a series of weekly beginning pastel workshops for women in the Seis Puentes facility from mid- September through mid-October, 2023, and furnish art supplies to those attending. Seis Puentes will provide the space and any needed translators. An art show showcasing participant’s work will be held at the end of classes for attendees to celebrate their successes and show off their work.

The four parameters for this grant are:

• Community outreach with a focus on the appreciation of the pastel
  medium.
• Outreach to an underserved community
• Outreach to an educational institution
• Provide a program or resource to your society that would not otherwise be
  possible without funding from the grant
  

Two other societies received this grant, The Philippines Painters and the Pastel Society of New Jersey. We are so proud to be a recipient.

Tom Christopher will lead a workshop, November 14-16 in conjunction with our 2023 National Show. He is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA) and Master Circle, International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS). You can find all the information and a registration form on our Events page under Workshops.

The Arkansas Pastel Society and the OzarkPastel Society is holding their first combined Non-Juried Member show! The show will be open to the public Tuesday, June 27 – Friday, July 21, 2023 at Thea Foundation Gallery.  You can visit the gallery Monday through Thursday from 9:00am to 5:00pm. 501 Main Street, North Little Rock Opening Reception Pack up the family and friends and join us for the Opening Reception on Friday, July 21 at 5:00pm at Thea Foundation. We are going to pack the walls with art, live painting demos, story boards of the artist’s creative process, and the public will vote for their favorite painting! Light refreshments will be served. The reception is during the Argenta Arts District 3rd Friday Art Walk event. Check out the site for additional activities that evening. Hope to see you there! Photos will be posted after the event.