What does PSA after an artist’s name mean?

Cool Blues

I regularly get asked the question “what does PSA after your name mean?” so thought I’d write a short blog post on this topic.

In order to be able to place the initials “PSA” after your name infers that you have “Signature” status in the Pastel Society of America (PSA).

There are two levels of membership in the PSA, “Associate” and “Signature”. In order to achieve Signature status your work must be juried by the PSA’s Jury of Admissions to determine if you meet the standards of professional excellence required for Signature status. If the Jury of Admissions does not confer Signature status, they may award the artist an Associate membership (this is by no means guaranteed).

Therefore, to achieve Signature status in the PSA and be allowed to place the initials PSA after your name, you do have to achieve a very high standard of professional excellence that is awarded to very few artists.

The PSA Jury of Admissions provides the following information about the jurying process:

• The jury does not know the name of the applicant nor does the jury consider an applicant’s resume.
• All works should be of equal consistent outstanding quality and must demonstrate consistency in style, originality of subject matter and interpretation of it.
• The rendering of subject matter, and elements of composition are important as well as correct perspective.
• All works must be original art and not copied from professional photographs  (obviously work completed in a class or under a teacher’s supervision in a workshop is ineligible).
• If all the standards of professional excellence are met, a Signature membership requires a majority vote of the jury.

I feel privileged to be able to be able to place “PSA” after my name….