We are excited about the celebration of our Tenth Biennial Convention!

Since IAPS was founded, pastel artists have been gathering together every two years for the IAPS conventions. The convention has grown and expanded each time, and now includes a wide variety of activities for pastel artists. Even if you’ve attended every previous convention, please take a minute to read about what’s new and special for the Tenth.

We are returning to Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town for the Tenth Biennial, as this has been our best and most popular location. In addition, the hotel offered to keep the room rate and banquet costs at the 2011 prices. The hotel is conveniently located adjacent to Old Town and museums, making it possible to enjoy some local attractions without having to have a car. You can make your hotel reservations here.

Tenth Biennial Celebration Party

We'll kick off our Tenth celebration on Thursday night with a party outdoors in the beautiful courtyard of the Hotel Albuquerque. (In the unlikely event of rain, we’ll move indoors.) We’ll have a wonderful buffet dinner, followed by a short program, and then a special musical performance by an excellent local band. Tickets to this event are included in your Registration Fee; if you wish to bring an unregistered guest, you may purchase additional tickets by email (please put IAPS in the subject line).

More Workshops

At each convention, we ask participants to fill out a feedback form and give us their opinions as to what worked and what could be improved, and we read every one of them. One of the things we have heard from attendees is that the three-hour “hands-on” sessions we had in the past did not give people enough time to paint after the instructor completed their demonstration. As a result we’ve rearranged the schedule so that people who want to see a demonstration and paint with the instructor can now choose from an increased number of one-day workshops. This should give you more time to get important feedback from the instructor as you create a painting with the new ideas and techniques presented earlier in the day. Note that materials lists are provided for each of these sessions and participants will need to bring their pastels and other supplies.

For Master Classes in 2013 we have a simplified system — rather than having your work juried, those classes will simply be limited to artists holding a signature membership in a Member Society or who have accrued three or more points towards membership in the IAPS Master Circle.

More Outdoors

We’re also adding more outdoor sessions during the main convention, both in the beautiful garden and patio area at the hotel, with convenient access to hotel facilities. (Meeting rooms will be available in the hotel in case of bad weather — while we don’t expect that in New Mexico, you can never predict weather!)

Continental Breakfast and a Longer Lunch Break

One of the most frequently requested items has been the expansion of our previous "coffee, tea and muffins" in the morning to something more substantial. This year, we'll offer a Continental Breakfast of coffee, tea, fresh juices, fresh fruit, hard-boiled eggs, yogurts and muffins or pastries. We won't issue tickets for breakfast; just wear your registration badge.

For people attending the shorter two- and three-hour sessions, we’ve structured the schedule to allow for a full hour break between sessions, so you have time for both lunch and shopping. And for those taking a full-day workshop with a short lunch break, the hotel will offer a streamlined sandwich lunch service, so you won’t waste precious pastel time sitting in a restaurant.

Trade Show, Raffle and a Surprise Contest

The trade show (affectionately referred to as the “candy store”) has long been a place where new products for pastel artists are introduced and familiar favorites are for sale. The Trade Show Grand Opening will begin with two hours of dedicated shopping time on Friday morning before the demonstrations and workshop programs begin. Bring your wish list and grab those bargains!

At each convention, our wonderful vendors have donated prizes for the raffle. This year, in honor of our Tenth Biennial, we’ll have some prize numbers drawn at the Thursday night Celebration, and then more at 4:00 on Saturday in the Trade Show. Buy your tickets early on Thursday to maximize your chances!

On Sunday, we’ll have a special surprise event taking place in the Trade Show. Details will be included in your registration package, but here’s a teaser — the prize is a 36-piece landscape set of Henri Roche Pastels ($659 value), donated by La Maison du Pastel in celebration of our Tenth Biennial. Watch for details on how you can win a chance at this incredible set of pastels!

Paint Around

Opening events on Thursday, June 6, will include the popular Paint-Around, where five artists each work sequentially on all five paintings. Those paintings will be auctioned over the next two days through a Silent Auction, with bid sheets and the paintings displayed at the registration desk. Proceeds go to the IAPS/UCT Scholarship Fund, which allows artists to attend pastel workshops.

Saturday Banquet

Our Saturday Banquet will feature guest speaker Jason Horejs, with “Ten Ways to Sell Your Paintings.” In addition, we’ll have the presentation of awards for new members of the IAPS Master Circle, the first recipients of the IAPS Eminent Pastelist Award, and the IAPS Golden Mentor honorees. Banquet tickets can be purchased in advance (highly recommended!) when you register for the Convention.

Convention Exhibitions in Hotel Albuquerque!

In 2013, the Twenty-Second Juried Exhibition and the Second Master Circle Exhibition will open with a reception on Wednesday, June 5, from 5:00 7:00 p.m. The reception and exhibitions will be in the Franciscan Room of the hotel, and the exhibitions will remain open during the convention. Hours will be posted outside the door to the Exhibitions. When you make your travel plans, consider arriving early enough to attend the Opening Reception!

We look forward to seeing you at the IAPS Tenth Biennial!

There’s a lot packed into this week of celebration of pastel. Please take time to review the various events and activities before you register. Also, please be aware that on-line registration takes effect immediately, so if you choose to register by mail classes may fill during the time it takes to deliver a mailed registration. Finally, as new information becomes available, we'll post it on the IAPS Convention Blog. Visit it often, or sign up on the blog site to receive it by email, and we'll keep in touch.