Welcome to the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators!
Welcome to the official website of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators (PSI), one of the largest illustrators societies in the nation. The Society brings local illustrators together to facilitate artistic and professional growth, advocacy for artists’ rights, and the camaraderie and promotion of our collective Pittsburgh talent. With an enthusiastic volunteer base, PSI maintains a lively schedule of regular meetups and special events designed to educate, engage, and inform working illustrators, buyers, the public, and students alike.
All PSI members and interested prospects and the public should click on the EVENTS icon above to stay informed on our busy calendar of events! New programs, presently being organized by our Board, will be announced once the dates are confirmed and will be available in person and/or on zoom.
FALL SOCIALS AT RESTARTING AT J GOUGH'S
Fall socials will restart at J Gough's 4213 Murray Avenue PGH PA 15217 Tuesday September 8 at 6:30pm.
Feel free to welcome friends, non-members, prospective members, and bring work, works in progress, promos, questions and ideas for future programming—this is YOUR society!
PSI needs YOUR input for programming. Come to the socials to propose who you want to come speak, programs you would like to see, topics you want to pursue--it's your Society! Much discussion every meeting about our 30th anniversary Heinz History Center exhibition 'My America: An Illustrated Experience' and the educational panels and programming we will be involved with all year in conjunction with this important exhibition celebrating the 30th Anniversary of PSI and America 250. The show ends September 7, 2026. The Heinz History center is open EVERY DAY of the week 10am-5pm.
All reminders will be announced on our Basecamp site and on this website as they are confirmed. READ MORE
Upcoming Events
Independent Comic Book Meeting: Monday, September 7, noon, Eat’n Park Banksville Road
Hello, PSI members!
Last month, President Jim Mellett hosted a summer picnic at his home here in Mt. Lebanon. Several artists attended who were interested in creating independent comic books, including Dylan Macko, Chas Chasler, and others.
We’ve finally scheduled our next meeting for Monday, September 7, at noon at the Eat’n Park, 1250 Banksville Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15216.
We’ll be discussing several upcoming independent comic book projects. One project is looking for about half a dozen variant covers, so any artist interested in having their work featured on a comic book cover is welcome to join us.
We’re also looking for artists willing to share their experiences working in independent comics as part of a class we’ll be holding every Sunday throughout October.
More details on this series that will run October 4, 11, 18, and 25, 2026 to come.
If you’re interested, please contact Howard Bender at 732-600-3462.
Thanks to GREGG VALLEY for his brilliant presentation at the Carriage House on July 28 and to CHRIS SICKELS RED NOSE STUDIO for his lecture and stop-action animation workshop at The Hub Works in West View on AUGUST 22!
AND CONTINUING THROUGH MONDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2026
Heinz History Center MY AMERICA: AN ILLUSTRATED EXPERIENCE PSI 30th Anniversary Show
This nationally recognized exhibition runs from October 11, 2025 to September 7, 2026:
MY AMERICA: AN ILLUSTRATED EXPERIENCE is in the Barensfeld Gallery of the Heinz History Center (HHC). Open 10am to 5pm every day of the year.
The History Center is located at 1212 Smallman Street, Pittsburgh PA 15222.
Bring the public, clients, family and prospective members!
MY AMERICA: AN ILLUSTRATED EXPERIENCE commemorates America’s 250th Semiquincentennial in 2026 and PSI’s 30th Anniversary. Through individual illustrations created by PSI members, the exhibit helps public audiences reflect upon American ideals such as freedom, resilience, democracy, independence, equality, rights, liberty, opportunity, diversity, self-government, and justice. PSI will help Heinz History Center patrons appreciate how these ideals have been advanced throughout the course of American history through the actual exhibition and in a public series of presentations that will be scheduled to run throughout the show year. An ambitious educational set of programs has continued.
EXHIBITING ILLUSTRATORS be aware that all work from MY AMERICA is to be picked up Wednesday, September 16, 2026 between 8:30am-noon at the Penn Avenue side of the Heinz History Center block of buildings. (This is the same location the work was dropped off and signed off in September 2025). If you absolutely cannot be there at this time, please arrange another member to get your work at that time. Bring your packing material.
PROGRAMS FOR ALL FULL AND AFFILIATE MEMBERS
All our members are highly encouraged to propose programs and speakers that PSI can present beyond August 2026. Contact anyone on the Board (Jim Mellett, Wintis Gibson, June Edwards, or Fred Carlson) asap with your ideas or come to the socials to discuss. We need your input READ MORE
