Every two years, IAPS awards grant funding directly to member societies doing the work of bringing pastel to their communities. The projects funded by the 2025 IAPS Global Society Grants were showcased at the 2026 IAPS Convention in Albuquerque. Together, these projects show just how many forms an IAPS grant can take.
Bringing Pastel to New Mexico’s Libraries
The Pastel Society of New Mexico used its grant for “The Art of Pastel,” a project created to introduce pastel to communities that don’t typically have access to the medium. The society organized exhibitions and demonstrations at public libraries in Edgewood, Belen, Bernalillo, and Los Alamos. Each stop included an exhibition of member paintings lasting several weeks, an opening reception, a pastel demonstration, and a hands-on activity for visitors.
Sharon Mikkelson, then vice president and now president, organized the full four-library tour, with Eminent Pastelist Paul Murray assisting at each stop. PSNM Signature Member Nicholas Tesluk gave a recurring introductory talk, “The Magic of Pastel,” covering the history of pastel pigments and materials before each demonstration. At each location, local volunteers gathered artwork and helped hang the exhibition. In Bernalillo, turnout was strong enough that the library director asked about making it an annual event.
One opening was cut short by a burst water line that closed the library mid-event, but the society adapted and kept the tour moving to the next three locations.
Art for the Heart in the Alaskan Mountains
The Pastel Society of Alaska took a hands-on approach with its project, ‘Art for the Heart’: put pastels in the hands of people who had never used them. They took the event outdoors, to Hatcher Pass and the long-abandoned Independence Mine, where twenty painters, most of them brand new to the medium, painted the old mine building and cloud-draped mountains around them. Participants ranged from children as young as ten to older adults, with experienced society members teaching the newcomers throughout the day.
Because Hatcher Pass is a popular tourism destination, the location also allowed the society to introduce pastel to the public. The society set out a community painting that invited passersby to add their own mark. Curious visitors stopped all day to ask about the medium. One young visitor showed off the drawings in her travel sketchbook and asked about joining the society.
Terry Ludwig Pastels donated a generous supply of pastels, Blick Art Materials provided sanded paper at a discount, and UArt and Alaska Parks and Recreation also supported the event. Organizer Gina Murrow described the day as a chance for people “to come out and fill their hearts with beauty and creativity.”
Rebuilding Participation and Momentum
Grants don’t only fund exhibitions and outreach. Sometimes they help a society rebuild participation and momentum. The Pastel Society of the Southwest used its grant for “Save the Warbler in Pastels,” a one-day, multi-generational workshop held July 12, 2025, in partnership with Grapevine Parks and Recreation. Nineteen artists were introduced to pastel, the youngest just days away from becoming a teenager, while the oldest was in her 90s. Each participant completed three paintings of the Golden-cheeked Warbler in a single day, building new skills with each one. The society chose the Warbler because it is an endangered species whose breeding range is entirely within Texas, allowing the workshop to also raise awareness about conservation.
The workshop also had an unexpected effect on the society itself. Thirteen member volunteers put in hundreds of hours of preparation, recruiting senior participants through the Grapevine Rec Center and filling additional seats through friends, family, and personal outreach. Most of those volunteers had never served the society in a volunteer role before. The society saw that involvement as a sign that the grant had renewed members’ enthusiasm.
A National Stage for Pastel in Pakistan
The Pastel Society of Pakistan used its grant to plan a large-scale national event. By the society’s own account, the IAPS grant helped it plan The National Pastel Art Biennale, “Pastel Odyssey: Exploring the Art of Pastels in Pakistan,” an exhibition with workshops and art talks in May of 2026 at the National Art Gallery, PNCA, and Nishar Art Gallery Peshawar. Financial constraints had previously prevented the society from mounting an event on this scale, and the grant helped make it possible.
To build momentum toward the biennale, the society hosted a community art show of framed pastel works in Peshawar and ran hands-on workshop sessions for artists at every level. The workshops were particularly important in Pakistan, where quality pastel materials can be difficult to obtain. Sessions covered skills like making pastel surfaces and paper to international standards, helping artists work around limited access to materials and expand their technical options. The society described its goal as reaching and educating emerging artists, art students and seasoned professionals, and building a stronger, more connected pastel artist community in Pakistan.
Bringing Pastel to a New Community in Arkansas
Earlier grants have produced lasting results as well. In 2023, the Arkansas Pastel Society received one of three IAPS grants awarded globally that year and used the funding to offer pastel instruction. APS members taught beginning pastel classes for a group of women at Seis Puentes Hispanic Outreach, a nonprofit in North Little Rock. APS initially advertised twelve spots but enrolled fifteen participants, with nine completing the final session. The program concluded with a graduation celebration featuring framed student artwork and diplomas.
The classes outlived the grant. Students went on to form the Seis Puentes Art Club. Two students later joined the Arkansas Pastel Society’s fall mini-workshop and one registered for the APS national workshop with Tom Christopher on scholarship.
Preparing for the Next Grant Cycle
The grants program runs on a two-year cycle. IAPS will be sharing full details for the next round of grants, including project criteria, the application deadline, and key dates for notification and project updates. In the meantime, societies can consider where grant funding could make a difference in their communities, whether through a class for new pastel artists, a community outreach project, an exhibition, or something entirely new.
These projects illustrate how a grant can give a society the resources to reach new artists, strengthen participation, or try something it could not otherwise fund.