2011 PNCA Graduates Honored with Commencement Address from Whitney Biennial Artist Julia Fish ’76
May 13, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2011
CONTACT:
Leslie Miller, External Relations Specialist
Pacific Northwest College of Art
lmiller@pnca.edu
Becca Biggs, Director of Communications
Pacific Northwest College of Art
bbiggs@pnca.edu
BFA Thesis Exhibition
Pacific Northwest College of Art
1241 NW Johnson Street
Cornelia and William T.C. Stevens Studio
1432 NW Johnson Street
May 22 – June 24, Tuesday – Saturday, 10am-6pm
MFA in Applied Craft and Design Practicum Exhibition
Presented by PNCA and Oregon College of Art and Craft
Galleria
921 SW Morrison Street
May 20 – June 17, Daily 12-6pm
MFA in Visual Studies Thesis Exhibition
Goldsmith Building
20 NW 5th Avenue at Couch Street
May 22 – June 18, Thursday-Sunday, 12-6pm
A First Thursday reception will be held for all of the thesis exhibitions on Thursday, June 2, 6–9 pm.
2011 PNCA Graduates Honored with Commencement Address from Whitney Biennial Artist Julia Fish ’76
BFA and MFA Thesis Exhibitions Demonstrate Student Talent Throughout Campus and Downtown Portland
May 13, 2011 – PORTLAND, OR – Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) proudly presents students in nine undergraduate and two graduate programs, including the inaugural class of the MFA in Applied Craft and Design for commencement on Sunday, May 22.
The 2011 Commencement Address will be delivered by alumna Julia Fish ’76 whose Threshold paintings were featured in the 2010 Whitney Biennial. Julia Fish is a 1976 graduate of Pacific Northwest College of Art, then known as the Museum School, and a former founding member of the longtime Portland artist cooperative Blackfish Gallery. She currently resides in Chicago, where she is Professor of Studio Arts in the School of Art and Design, College of Architecture and the Arts, University of Illinois at Chicago.
In honor of their commencement, the inaugural class of the MFA in Applied Craft and Design program, a collaboration between PNCA and Oregon College of Art and Craft, presents Make Way, a graduate exhibition marking the culmination of two years of hands-on designing and making. The thesis exhibition features students’ practicum projects that explore the convergence of art, craft and design practices and will take place at Galleria on SW Morrison Street.
The MFA in Visual Studies will graduate thirteen students and presents their thesis work, the culmination of two years of multi-disciplinary and mentor-based study, in a special exhibition at the Goldsmith Blocks in Old Town Portland.
To showcase the work of nearly 100 BFA graduates, PNCA hosts thesis exhibitions throughout the PNCA campus, spanning from the Stevens Studios to the Swigert Commons and multiple student galleries. The 2011 thesis exhibitions feature the work of graduates in nine disciplines: Communication Design, Contemporary Animated Arts, General Fine Arts, Illustration, Intermedia, Painting, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture.
PNCA’s curriculum features an intensive studio experience, beginning with a foundation in basic techniques, progressing through periods of innovation and critical study, while preparing students for a life of sustainable practice.
About Pacific Northwest College of Art
Since its founding in 1909, Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) has become a leader in innovative educational programs that connect students to a global perspective in the visual arts and design. In addition to its nine Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, PNCA offers graduate education with an MFA in Visual Studies and an MFA in Collaborative Design, as well as an MFA in Applied Craft and Design developed in collaboration with the Oregon College of Art and Craft.
PNCA is actively involved in Portland’s cultural life through exhibitions and a vibrant public program of lectures and internationally recognized visiting artists, designers and creative thinkers. With the support of PNCA+FIVE (Ford Institute for Visual Education), the College has a partnership with the nationally acclaimed Museum of Contemporary Craft. For more information, visit www.pnca.edu