Student Life

DAY 1

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2022

8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
New Student Check-in (PNCA Gear/Lockers)
Atrium

2:30 - 3:00 PM
Welcome Program
Mediatheque

3:00 - 3:30 PM
Welcome Address: Debunking the Myth of the Starving Artist
Mediatheque

3:35 - 4:30 PM
Parent/Family Panel
Mediatheque

3:35 - 4:00 PM
Commuter Student Social/Transfer Social
Room 305

3:35 - 5:00 PM
Session: Digital Tools exemption test
Computer Labs 310/311

5:00 - 6:00 PM
Session: Dinner
Atrium

7:00 - 8:00 PM
Floor meetings (first year halls)
Arthouse

DAY 2

Wednesday, August 24th, 2022

The sessions for this day will be conference style with student groups cycling between each session as well as having time for their Financial Aid and/or accessible education services (AES) appointments when not in one of the three sessions. Students will receive a customized schedule for their group when they check in for orientation.

9:00 AM -12:30 PM Morning Sessions (Groups 1-3)/Appointments (Groups 4-6)

• Creativity v. Commodity Workshop
  Room 305
• Culture of Respect in Gallery & for Facilities
  Room 314
• The Transition Conversation
  Room 505

12:30 - 1:30 PM
Lunch
Atrium

1:30 to 4:50 PM Afternoon Sessions (Groups 4-6)/Appointments (Groups 1-3)

• Creativity v. Commodity Workshop
  Room 305
• Culture of Respect in Gallery & for Facilities
  Room 314
• The Transition Conversation
  Room 505

8:00 - 10:00 PM
Movie Night

DAY 3

Thursday, August 25th, 2022

10:00 - 11:15 AM
In transit to Salem Campus

12:00 -1:00 PM
Lunch at Goudy

1:00 - 4:00 PM
Community Care, Wellbeing & Inclusion (CARE Team, Bishop, Crisis Response)
Smith Auditorium

4:30 - 5:30 PM
Dinner
Goudy Dining Hall

5:30 - 7:15 PM
Campus Tours, Hallie Ford Museum, Alumni Talk
Cone Chapel

7:30 - 8:30 PM
Matriculation
Quad

9:00 - 11:00 PM
Glow Up (dance)

DAY 4

Friday, August 26th, 2022

The sessions for this day will also be conference style with student groups cycling between each session. Between 3:00-6:00, students will meet with their First-Year Seminar instructors in small groups to discuss their class schedule. Students will receive a customized schedule for their group when they check in for orientation.

10:00 AM - 3:10 PM

• AD Student Success
  Room 305
• The Office of Career Design
  Computer Lab 410
• Library Open House & Snacky Hour
  Albert Solheim Library
• PNCA Academic Technology
  Computer Labs 310/311
• Bishop Wellness
  Room 314
• Critiquing Critique
  Room 505

12:30 - 1:30 PM
Lunch
Atrium

3:10 - 6:00 PM
“This is the Way” appointments

DAY 5

Saturday, August 27th, 2022

10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Making Project with Salem (Sketchbook project & Shrinky Dinks)
Atrium

12:00 - 1:00 PM
Lunch
Atrium

Debunking the Starving Artist

What do artists do today? Contemporary artists are involved in so many creative industries. Almost everything you interact with in your daily life was created by an artist or designer. We're here to debunk the myth of the "starving artist" and show you how to leverage your skills and talents as a creative professional. Join us to learn about the many avenues an art education at PNCA will lead you down!

Creativity v. Commodity Workshop

One of the most difficult processes in becoming an artist is balancing your creative urges (meeting new people, trying out new techniques and skills, exploring art history) and your desire to be commodified (finding your niche in the market, selling your artwork, and making a living). Finding a balance is a lifelong process. As you begin to immerse yourself into PNCA’s creative community you will change, evolve, and mature - which are all good - but can sometimes be unsettling. How can you ground yourself? How can you remember who you are amongst so many transitions? What can you make for yourself to remind yourself of yourself?

Culture of Respect in Gallery/Facilities

Since 2008, the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design (formerly the 511 Federal Building) has been home to the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Therefore, the very building you’re learning in is a piece of art. Inside the building you will find art galleries displaying works by local or international artists, students, faculty, and staff - all demand that you conduct yourself with a certain level of conscientiousness, care, and respect - especially if your installment is damaged.

The Transition

"The transition from one academic environment to another can be difficult.  As we transition from one environment to the next, we use what Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, & Cain, 2001) call "figured worlds" to make sense of the new environments we find ourselves in. Sometimes, however, our previous experience is exactly what this new situation calls for, and other times, our previous experience is ill-suited for the new situation. If the latter happens, what can we do? 

This session will introduce to you Schlossberg's transition theory as a framework to help guide your adjustments to PNCA."

AD Student Success

In this session, you will learn about the Academic Support Center (ASC), located in the Albert Solheim Library. Meet with the Assistant Director of Academic Support, Noni Villalobos to overview a foundational academic skill: emailing your professor! Together we'll overview the do's and don'ts of connecting with faculty and create basic templates to carry on throughout your time at PNCA.

The Office of Career Design

Career Design Workshop: In this hands-on experience you will get an account and create a profile in our career services portal called Handshake.  Keeping with our theme, "early and often" we will introduce our career passport activity.  You will get stamps and stickers when you attend a series of mini workshops on career topics that will take place August 29-September 1 on the lunch hour (12:30-1:30) in the Atrium.  Prizes will be awarded.

​ Library Open House

Come by the library to explore and decompress. Read a book, play a board game, or watch some short films. We look forward to seeing you!

PNCA Academic Technology

This short session will introduce new students to all of the resources that PNCA Academic Technology offers, including equipment checkout, printing, software and artwork documentation. We will review logging into your accounts, and demonstrate how to use Canvas so that you are all set to get going in your classes.

Bishop Wellness

Wellness Resources: The transition to college can be both exciting and stressful. This session will outline all of the health and wellness resources available to you during your time at PNCA so that you can make the most of your experience here.

Critiquing Critique

By definition, the word critique has two definitions. As a noun it means “a detailed analysis and assessment of something, especially a literary, philosophical, or political theory” and as a verb it means “to evaluate (a theory or practice) in a detailed and analytical way.”  Whether a verb or a noun, critique is an element of art school that impacts students in different ways. Sometimes it can reinforce or diminish one’s ‘art star status’ (Salazar, 2013) or it can increase or decrease a student's knowledge base (Unkefer, 2021). Understanding the value, types, and necessity of critique is invaluable in the process of becoming an artist.