Founded in 1972 by Flora B. Giffuni, the Pastel Society of America (PSA) – the oldest pastel society in America – is largely responsible for the current renaissance of pastels in American art. The society’s annual exhibition at The National Arts Club in New York is the premier event for pastel artists worldwide. PSA encourages artistic advancement through monetary and material awards, juried by museum professionals and distributed during its annual exhibition to pastelists, showing technical acumen and creative use of pastel techniques. Members winning three cumulative awards in PSA annuals are named PSA Master Pastelists, the highest designation of pastel achievement. In recent years, PSA members have been honored guests in exhibitions in Italy, France, Russia, and China.