Connecticut Pastel Society
Connecticut Pastel Society

Renaissance in Pastel

32nd Annual National Exhibition September 5 – 28, 2025 Arts Center East, Vernon, CT
Deadline is July 14th. Open to Members and Non-Members.
2024 Best in Show, Deep Blue by Ann Volpe
2024 Best in Show, Deep Blue by Ann Volpe
Open Calls

Opens May 28, 2025.

Open for entry on May 28, 2025.
Deadline for entry: July 14, 2025

Venue

Arts Center East
709 Hartford Turnpike
Vernon, CT 06371

Eligible Work

  • The show is open to all artists residing in the United States** and working in the soft pastel medium, not oil pastels.
  • Work must be at least 80% soft pastel.
  • It cannot be painted over an AI-created or mechanical reproduction or collage, but cut pieces of pastel paper is acceptable.
  • Work must not use any varnish or finish except traditional pastel fixative.
  • Any subject or style is eligible.
  • Work must have been completed within the past three years and must be original.
  • It can be neither copied from works or photographs by others, nor done in a classroom, workshop, or under the supervision of an instructor.
  • No AI generated work will be permitted.
  • Size limit is 40 inches in either direction, including frame.
  • Artwork must be securely and professionally framed (NO colored mats, only white or off-white allowed) under glass or plexiglass and be ready to hang with screw eyes and wire, no sawtooth hangers.
**A NOTE TO INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS**
The Renaissance in Pastel exhibit is only open to artists living in the United States.

A painting is NOT ELIGIBLE for entry if…
  • It won an award at IAPS, PSA, or any other national/international open juried Pastel Society Exhibit. (e.g. Pastel Society of Southern California)
  • It was accepted into a national/international open juried Pastel Society Exhibit that runs concurrently with Renaissance, either online or in person. *Many of the online shows are up on the Internet for an entire year, so please be aware of that.
  • It was exhibited in a former Connecticut Pastel Society Exhibit, whether national or the CPS Members Exhibit.
A painting is ELIGIBLE for entry if…
  • It has won an award in a Pastel Society MEMBER Exhibit (e.g. Pastel Society of the West Coast Member Exhibit).
  • It won an award at an exhibit that includes all mediums (e.g. Allied Artists of America, Salmagundi, or AAPL).
**If any of the above rules are not followed the piece will not hang and a two-year ban on entering will be imposed. Anyone attempting to submit an AI-generated piece will be banned permanently from entering any CPS show.

Entry and Fees

All entries must be submitted through ShowSubmit.com. No CDs or emailed images will be accepted. Each artist may submit up to three images, but only one may be accepted. Incorrectly labeled or incorrectly sized work will be disqualified. Changes in the price of the painting between entry and receiving will not be honored.

Entry fees must be paid online by credit card at time of submission, and are non-refundable.

Members:
$45 for up to 3 digital images.
2025 dues must be paid.

Non-members:
$55 for up to 3 digital images.

Image Preparation

Take a very level, high quality image and crop the photo until only the painting image is visible. Do not make enhancements to your image. Save the image as a jpg. Additional how-to details are on the CPS website’s entry page.

Delivering Your Work

All entrants will receive an email notification by Friday, August 1, 2025. Artists whose work is accepted will receive an exhibition label and shipping instructions. The label must be completed and affixed to the back center of the painting. A list of other accepted artists, by state, will be included for ride sharing. The painting submitted must be identical to the accepted JPEG; no substitutions.

All hand-delivered work must be dropped off and ready to hang on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 9:30am – 12:00 noon.

Arts Center East
709 Hartford Turnpike
Vernon, CT 06371

860-871-8222

Please visit artscentereast.org for current gallery hours.


*There will be a two-year ban from entering the show if your image is accepted and the identical painting is not delivered.

Shipped work must arrive to Arts Center East between August 18 and August 29. There will be a $30.00 shipping & handling fee. Detailed shipping instructions will be attached to your acceptance email. Please be sure to put CT Pastel Society on the shipping label/box for exhibition identification by the gallery.

Sales and Removal

All work must be for sale; no POR or NFS allowed. A 40% commission will be taken on all work sold. Exhibited work that is not sold must be picked up Sunday, September 28, 2025 from 2 PM – 5 PM. If you are not able to pick up your work at that time, please arrange to have another artist pick up your painting.

Hold Harmless Agreement

All work will receive careful handling by competent staff. Vernon Community Art Center, Inc. dba Arts Center East, Connecticut Pastel Society, Inc., and anyone connected with this exhibition are not responsible for loss or damage of delivered or shipped work. We recommend that artists carry their own insurance. Submission of your work for this exhibition constitutes your acceptance and agreement, while granting reproduction rights to CPS for this exhibition.

Jury of Selection

Janet Schwartz, Allison Krajcik, Terri Brooks

Awards Judge

Liz Haywood-Sullivan
Liz is a dedicated, professional artist, art educator and advocate for the arts residing in Massachusetts. She is best known for her landscapes in the pastel medium, and her award-winning paintings are exhibited and collected world-wide.

Awards

CPS® Renaissance Best in Show $1,000
CPS Founders Award $800
CPS Presidents Award $600 value
Dianne B. Bernhard Award $400
CPS Honor Award $400
Philip M. Danylik Memorial Award $250.00
Pastel Society of America Award $200
Pastel Society of the West Coast Award $200
Allied Artists of America Award $150
Central Massachusetts Pastel Society $150
Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod Award $150
Salmagundi Club Award $150
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club Award $150
Maryland Pastel Society Award $100
Madison Art Society Award $100
Pastel Society of Maine Award $100
Pastel Society of New Jersey $100.00
Pastel Society of New Hampshire Award $100

The CT Pastel Society typically distributes awards for the Renaissance Show totaling approximately $7,000 in cash and merchandise. This list of 2025 awards is not final. It will be revised as vendors who normally support CPS confirm their participation, and the final list will appear in the show catalogue.

Connecticut Pastel Society Officers

President: Karen Suponski
Vice President: Steve Brunetti
Secretary: Jessica Turgoose
Treasurer: Heather Quay
Membership: Ann Volpe
Exhibition Co-Chairs: Karen Israel, Elaine Juska Joseph, and Steve Brunetti
Awards Team: Patricia Boes & Mary Ann D’Ambruoso

For information, contact:

Elaine Juska Joseph, [email protected]
Steve Brunetti, [email protected]
Karen Israel, [email protected]

Additional Notification Information

Notifications will be emailed and posted in your ShowSubmit account by the end of the day on August 1, 2025.

You may view the notification in your ShowSubmit account by logging in and tapping the Notifications at the top right of the screen, or in your Entry History.

If you do not receive your email, login and view the notification in your account. We cannot respond to inquiries regarding the status of notifications.

Note: Entries made prior to 2023 may not display the View Notification link.

Image and Filename Specifications

  • File Format: Submit original, high-quality JPEG image files. Other formats (e.g., PNG, TIFF) are not accepted.
  • Crop Your Image: Ensure only the artwork itself is visible in the image. Do not show any visible matting, frames, or background distractions.
  • Orientation: Make sure your image is oriented correctly (right side up) so that the artwork appears in its intended viewing direction.
  • Image Size: You do not need to resize your image files before uploading. The system will automatically resize them. Smaller images cannot be enlarged to meet the requirements, so ensure your images are high resolution before uploading.
  • File Names: You do not need to rename your files before uploading them. The system will handle any file naming requirements.
  • File Size: There is a 30mb maximum file size limit. Larger image files will take longer to upload and process.

Additional Entry Information

  • You will pay for your entry by credit or debit card using our secure checkout system.
  • After your entry is submitted and paid for, you may log back in to review your entry, edit artist and image information, and add or substitute images up until the entry deadline (July 14, 2025.)
  • Entry fees are not refundable and must be submitted and paid by the entry deadline.
  • Entries cannot be accepted or changed after the deadline. Incomplete entries will be disqualified.

Support

For questions about CPS or this Prospectus, please contact Elaine Juska Joseph ([email protected]).

For technical support or entry questions, first check our Help Center or Entry Guide. If you still need help, email ShowSubmit Support ([email protected]). We’ll respond between 9am and 6pm Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.