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“The portrait is the most sublime artistic expression of the human being,” said a famous painter.
Among the guarantors of this extraordinary artistic genre is the Portrait Society of America, one of the most prestigious American art institutions, completely dedicated to the art of portraiture. This year, after two years of virtual meetings, the Portrait Society of America is pleased to announce a return to normalcy by presenting the prestigious annual meeting, “The Art of The Portrait,” which will once again be in person.
Participants will once again be able to savor the beauty of human warmth, looking into each other’s eyes and talking without digital intermediaries, which are undeniably useful, but rather sterile. During the convention, attendees will meet the Portrait Society of America team: members of the executive board, advisory board and staff, who in attendance or backstage, routinely organize all of the institution’s events.
The team will introduce faculty members who are some of the most important artists in the American portrait painting scene. Among them will be: Leslie Adams, Anna Rose Bain, Suchitra Bhosle, Wende Caporale, Louis Carr, Kevin Chambers, Joseph Daily, Michelle Dunaway, Kerry Dunn, Tina Garrett, Seth Haverkamp, Jeff Hein, Ron Hicks, Quang Ho, Pramod Kurlekar, Robert Liberace, Gregory Mortenson, Michael Shane Neal, Richard Christian Nelson, Paul Newton, Teresa Oaxaca, Mary Qian, Mardie Rees, Daniel Sprick, Adrienne Stein, Ann Moeller Steverson, Gwenneth Barth-White, Victoria Wyeth, Dawn Whitelaw, Mary Whyte and Elizabeth Zanzinger.
The full program is organized in such a way as to alternate topic-specific demonstration sessions with panel discussions on current topics, including: the presentation of artwork in the digital age and how to deal with the obstacles that are challenging your professional journey.
There are many rich events organized during the conference, among them is the Gala Dinner on Saturday night. During the event, the winners of the various awards will be presented: the Future Generation award, the Signature Status awards, the International Portrait Competition (don’t forget to vote for your favorite artist) and the Edward Jonas Gold Medal. Also during the gala, Victoria Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth’s only granddaughter, will speak about her grandfather, his life and memories, borrowing for her presentation the title of James Joyce’s famous work, “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.”
There will be no shortage of opportunities to purchase a work of art created by faculty -past and present, gold medal winners and other award-winning artists- who have given away their work for the “6×9: Limited Size, Unlimited Talent Mystery Art Sale.” The mystery auction will have a fixed bid of $250, and will be awarded based on a drawing among participants. The “6×9: Limited Size, Unlimited Talent Mystery Art Sale” is electrifying because the only elements that will make one work stand out over another will not be the name of the artist but rather the emotion the painting evokes and its technique. The name of the artist who made it will be known only at the end of the event. In addition, this year, the faculty artists will offer the opportunity to buy the works created during their demonstration sessions.
Other highlights during the conference will include “The Individual Portfolio Critiques,” one of the conference’s most popular programs during which attendees will have the opportunity to show work to some of the artists in attendance who have generously agreed to view the portfolio.
The beauty of in-person events also offers the opportunity to purchase materials directly from the manufacturers on display during the convention. Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn about the faces and stories behind the top brands. Art materials will also include Portrait Society of America books and DVDs that can be autographed in the dedicated spaces during the convention. At this point, don’t waste time: bring or buy your book and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.
For those who don’t have the opportunity to attend “The Art of The Portrait” in person, don’t worry: The team at the Portrait Society of America has thought of that too. In fact, to ensure that the large worldwide audience, who have been attending the event virtually for the past two years, the Portrait Society of America is offering the opportunity to watch the conference live from the comfort of your own home.
The demonstration of the sessions will also be available, as usual, for replay for a period of thirty days after the event.
You can sign up for “The Art of The Portrait” by clicking on the following links.: https://www.portraitsociety.org/2022-conference (FOR IN-PERSON EVENT); https://portraitsociety.wufoo.com/forms/m15j3cql14skk94/ (FOR THE VIRTUAL EVENT)
As usual, we at Miami Niche will be there to tell you about this wonderful experience and we will accompany you through the meanders of what is shaping up to be one of the most interesting conventions of all time. Follow us!
