We do things differently here
We experiment. We challenge one another. And we ask big questions. Like what can art and design do in the world if we push ourselves to reimagine everything.
Here at PNCA you are part of a community
We support one another and work together to break things apart and put them back together in new ways. We are growing all the time, confronting new ideas and building new skill sets with new tools and processes.
Through our community we learn to better understand the work we make and how it can make an impact in the world. And we, each of us, drive our own continued learning through our making and research while simultaneously learning to think critically about our own work and that of others.
We prepare students for a life of creative practice.
There are no lecture halls
There is student art everywhere: on the walls in classrooms and critique spaces and student galleries...and in the stairwells and elevators. There are cutting-edge thinkers and state-of-the-art tools in this 100-year-old art school.
You are encouraged to explore. Every department is interdisciplinary: painters make sculptures, designers make films, illustrators make apps, video and sound artists make performances. No department here isn’t 100% focused on art and design. Faculty are working artists and designers, and class sizes are small enough that your professors know you by name and take an interest in what you think and do.
We come from many backgrounds, places, and cultures. What brings us together is that we live and breathe art and design.
We value difference
As a learning community, we value, respect, and appreciate difference—in gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, race, national origin, disability, and age.
We strive to create a safe and supportive environment that welcomes variety in voices, work, and perspectives.
We know that we are a better community of learners and educators when we embrace a multiplicity of world views and experiences.
We empower students to reimagine what art and design can do in the world.
Learn more
Explore our programs and schedule a visit to see for yourself how extraordinary this place is.
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