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Mission, Vision, and Outcomes

We're a century old art school with a focus on the future in the heart of downtown Portland, Oregon, one of the most creative and livable cities in the country.

Our Legacy

PNCA was founded in 1909 as a program of the Portland Art Association and Portland Art Museum. The Museum Art School, later renamed the Pacific Northwest College of Art, has shaped the visual arts landscape of the region for more than one hundred years. PNCA’s faculty and graduates are among the leading creators of Pacific Northwest regionalism and Abstract Expressionism of the Post War period. Our graduates have become professional artists, gallerists, art directors, designers, book illustrators, film, and animation leaders who have shaped Portland and the region as a hub for visual arts, design and indie craft, publishing, and making.

Our Mission

We spark curiosity and sharpen skills so students can build creative careers anchored in innovation, justice, and civic imagination.

Students smiling during a painting critique.
Our Hope, Our Vision

PNCA fuels a vibrant Pacific Northwest region by investing in artists, designers, research, and programs that fuel creative innovation and civic health.

We challenge our students to think big and to extend their creative problem solving superpowers well beyond the traditional horizons of art and design.

To fulfill our vision, we prepare students for a complex and rapidly changing world.

The main campus in the summer with the parking lot painted with giant colorful flowers.
Our Outcomes

Our College Learning Outcomes give students the tools they need to thrive.

A student in the printmaking studio with lithographs.

Surround yourself with art and design

Come explore and experience how PNCA is dedicated to empowering students to reimagine what art and design can do in the world.

Visit PNCA

Willamette University

Connect With PNCA

  • Glass Building

    Address

    2139 N Kerby Ave
    Portland Oregon 97227 U.S.A.

    Contact

    503-226-4391

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