The closest airport to the Hyatt Regency Reston is the Dulles International Airport, which is about a 10-minute ride by car. There is no shuttle from the airport to the hotel, but rental cars, taxis and shared ride services are easily available from the airport.

Come to the foyer of the Grand Ballroom on Thursday, May 11 starting at 4:00pm. You will pick up your name badge, and the Art Materials Exhibition Hall will be open. Check the back of your plastic name badge holder for your tickets. Make sure you wear your name badge at all times during the conference as you will need it to enter classes or the General Sessions.

The Expo Hall's Grand Opening is on Thursday at 4:00pm with a wide variety of art materials and services:

                  Thursday:   4:00pm-7:30pm                              Saturday:  10:00am-5:00pm

                  Friday:       10:00am-5:30pm                              Sunday:     8:00am-12:30pm

Exhibitors this year are: Artefex, Chelsea Classical Studio Fine Art Materials, General Pencil Company, Jack Richeson & Co., Inc., MacPherson’s Art, Masterworks Frames, Michael Harding Handmade Artists Oil Colours, Natural Pigments, New Wave Fine Art Products, Portrait Society Fine Art Books & DVDs, Raymar, Rosemary & Co., Silver Brush Limited, and Winsor & Newton.

The Portrait Society offers a variety of books and DVDs by faculty and other well-known artists. We will only be accepting checks or credit cards (no cash) for books and DVDs. Make note of our book signing, buy your books early and have it signed by the author! 

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Friday, 12:30pm: Rose Frantzen, Michael Shane Neal and Anthony Ryder.

Saturday, 12:30pm: Max Ginsburg, James Gurney, Susan Lyon, Michael Shane Neal and Mary Whyte.

Saturday, 4:30pm: Judith Carducci

The top 20 artworks from the International Portrait Competition will be on display in Lake Anne, right outside the Grand Ballroom. Don’t forget to place your vote for the People’s Choice award before Saturday at 2:00pm. You will receive your ballot when you pick up your name badge.

Among one of the most popular programs at the conference are the individual portfolio critiques, which will be held in the Regency Royer. Take advantage of the artists who have generously agreed to critique portfolios during the Friday and Saturday lunch hour 12:30-2:00pm. Feel free to share your artwork for critiques electronically on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. You do not have to bring a physical portfolio notebook unless you have one. 

A fast-paced and exciting event featuring donated artwork offered for a fixed price of $250! Our 6x9: Limited Size, Unlimited Talent Mystery Art Sale will take place Friday night, May 12, in the Grand Ballroom. Doors open for viewing at 5:15pm and the sale will begin at 5:30pm. The work being offered is created by past and current faculty, Gold Medal recipients and other award winners. The twist comes after purchase when the buyer discovers whose painting they have acquired.

Through the generosity of the artists participating in the Face-Off event, we are offering their demonstration artwork for purchase through a silent auction. It will be held immediately following the 6x9 Art Sale and the last bid will be accepted at 6:15pm on Friday in the Regency Ballroom. If we have active bidding right up to the 6:15pm deadline, we will go to a live auction to complete the sale. Funds raised from the auction will be used to support our scholarship program. 

There will be a Cocktail Reception with a cash bar from 6:00pm-7:00pm in the Grand Ballroom Foyer. Doors open at 7:00pm for banquet seating. If you purchased a ticket, it will be in your name badge. Remember to bring the ticket with you to the Grand Ballroom. For a reserved seat, come to the Volunteer desk next to Registration on Friday between 8:00am-4:00p and Saturday between 8:00a-2:00p. Bring your ticket as well as others you would like to sit with, and we will reserve a table for you and attach your reserved seat to your ticket. In celebration of our 25th Anniversary, dress will be Black Tie (optional).

There are a variety of food options available including:

• Cash sales for breakfast in the Grand Ballroom foyer each morning.

• Grab and Go Lunches will be available for purchase on Friday and Saturday. Forms for will be available in the Ballroom Foyer each day.

• Other Options: In addition to the in-house restaurant, Capital Burger, there are over 25 restaurants within walking distance, at a variety of pricesand cuisine, including Potbelly’s Sandwich Shop, Sweetgreen, Morton’s Steakhouse, Starbuscks, North Italia, and PassionFish.

If you register for the virtual conference, you will have access to live-stream all of the presentations and demonstrations that take place on the Mainstage in the Grand Ballroom. This includes Friday breakout session "A True Living Master” with Burton Silverman and “Structure and Style: Building Personal Expression on a Solid Foundation” with Anthony Ryder as well as Saturday breakout session "Moving Targets” with James Gurney, Michael Shane Neal and Mary Whyte and “On the Road” with Suchitra Bhosle and Scott Burdick. What's not included are the other breakout sessions or the Pre-Conference Workshops as those take place outside of the Grand Ballroom. After the conference, you will be granted access to the recordings to watch if you were unable to watch them live.