About Us
Established in February 1998, the Portrait Society of America is a 501(C)3 registered charity, formed as an educational organization dedicated to furthering the traditions of fine art portraiture and figurative art through programs and publications.
The Portrait Society is committed to providing educational resources to anyone interested in technical information, traditional aesthetics and the history of figurative art and portraiture.
We offer complimentary copies of The Art of the Portrait Journal and International Artist Magazine to all of our members. Additionally, we contribute to each issue of American Art Collector Magazine on topics related to portraiture and figurative art today.
We host a number of educational programs per year including the annual The Art of the Portrait where over 800 artists gather annually to celebrate and share a passion for the portrait and figure.
Statement of Purpose
The purpose of the Portrait Society is to foster and enhance an understanding of the practice, techniques and applications of traditional fine art portraiture and figurative works. The activities undertaken by the corporation are educational in nature. Our projects will increase the aesthetic and technical knowledge for the practicing artist, the aspiring amateur, student artist as well as the general public. Projects to accomplish these purposes will include the following:
Conduct a national conference annually to present lectures, demonstrations and exhibitions on the discipline of fine art portraiture.
Collect, write and publish a newsletter covering issues germane to fine art portraiture.
Coordinate volunteers in each region of the country for the purpose of membership development and recruitment as we attempt to build a national membership base.
Establish a voluntary code of ethics and standards for general members. This will serve as a guide for the technical and aesthetic standards of general members. This activity will further the practice of traditional fine art portraiture.
Provide the membership access through a toll-free telephone service to expert advice on techniques, aesthetics and related information. The organization provides an informational home page on the World Wide Web.
Offer portfolio review opportunities at an annual conference to assist and guide members in furthering their knowledge and artistic skills.
Recognize and honor those artists of distinction who have over the course of their careers produced bodies of work that epitomizes excellence within the discipline.
Organize exhibits that will exemplify different facets of fine art portraiture and figurative works. They will be open to the public, at no charge.
Board Members
The Portrait Society was founded in 1998 by Gordon Wetmore, Edward Jonas and Tom Donahue as a national non-profit organization formed to increase aesthetic and technical knowledge of the practicing portrait artist, artist's representatives, art students and the general public and is governed by an Executive Board and Advisory Board.
Executive Board
Michael Shane Neal, Chairman
Dawn Whitelaw, Vice Chair
Christine Egnoski, Executive Director
Wende Caporale Greene, Treasurer/Secretary
Quang Ho
Mary Whyte
Advisory Board
Sam Adoquei
James Gurney
Peggy Kinstler
Robert Liberace
Dean Mitchell
Rhoda Sherbell, N.A.
Burton Silverman, N.A.
Jennifer Welty
Support Staff
The Portrait Society has a permanent staff based in Tallahassee, Florida. You can contact any of us by dialing the toll-free number at the bottom or by sending an email. We are joined by a host of volunteers to assist with major events, like our annual conference and Portrait Academy Series. If you would like to volunteer at an upcoming event, you can email Allison by clicking her email below.
Christine Egnoski
Executive Director
Kim Azzarito
Assistant Director, Event Coordinator, Advertising
Amanda Oliver
Membership Specialist, Event Registrations, Competitions
Allison Gilliard
Special Programs, Marketing, Outreach
Karey Mortimer
6x9 Mystery Art Sale, Sponsors
From left to right: Allison Gilliard, Kim Azzarito, Christine Egnoski, and Amanda Oliver
Not pictured: Karey Mortimer
Contact Us
Have a general inquiry and you do not know who to contact? Feel free to give us a call on our toll-free number (1-877-772-4321) or send us email to info@portraitsociety.org, and we will call or email you back shortly.