PNCA Announces Formation of Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies and Thesis Exhibitions
May 10, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 10, 2013
Contact: Lisa Radon, Communications Specialist
lradon@pnca.edu
971.255.5528
Becca Biggs, Director of Communications
bbiggs@pnca.edu
971.255.5521
PNCA Announces Formation of Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies and Thesis Exhibitions MFA and BFA Thesis Exhibitions Showcase Graduate Work
MFA in Visual Studies Thesis Exhibition MFA in Collaborative Design Capstone Exhibition
Vigor Industrial Swan Island, Building 10, 5555 N Channel Avenue
Opening Reception: Friday, May 24, 6–9 pm
Open Hours: Saturday, May 25, 12-5 pm and Tuesday June 4-Sunday June 9, 12-5 pm
BFA Thesis Exhibition
Pacific Northwest College of Art Swigert Commons and Cornelia and Stevens Studios
1241 NW Johnson Street and 1432 NW Johnson Street
May 26 – June 8 First Thursday reception June 7, 6–9 pm
MFA in Applied Craft and Design Practicum Exhibition
Presented by PNCA and Oregon College of Art and Craft
404 SE 6th Avenue
May 18 – May 25
Opening reception: Friday, May 17, from 6:30–9:30 pm
May 10, 2013 – PORTLAND, OR – Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) announces the formation of the Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies at PNCA, the result of an historic philanthropic gift. In 2007, the late Hallie Ford gave PNCA $15 million, the largest single gift ever made to an Oregon cultural institution. Supported by this gift, PNCA launched five graduate programs in five years: the MFA in Visual Studies, the MFA in Collaborative Design, the MA in Critical Theory and Creative Research, the Low-Residency MFA in Visual Studies, and the MFA in Applied Craft and Design (offered jointly with Oregon College of Art and Craft in an innovative partnership).
These graduate programs are now united within the Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies. At the time Hallie Ford made her unprecedented gift, she wrote in a statement that it reflected her desire, “to see a globally recognized center for visual art and design education located in Oregon.” In the six years since then, PNCA has increased its international presence by hosting internationally recognized artists and thinkers in its visiting artist program; sending students on international residencies, academic exchanges, and Global Studio tours in Europe, Asia, and Africa; and welcoming international students to its graduate programs.
Currently, PNCA is in the midst of a capital campaign, Creativity Works Here, to support the transformation of a former federal post office on Portland’s North Park Blocks into the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design, with construction slated to begin in September of this year. This announcement comes as PNCA celebrates the graduating students in four of its graduate programs—including those in the MFA in Visual Studies, the MFA in Collaborative Design, the MA in Critical Theory and Creative Research, and the MFA in Applied Craft and Design programs—and ten of its undergraduate programs with thesis exhibitions both on campus and off.
The undergraduate exhibition features student work in disciplines including Communication Design, Animated Arts, General Fine Arts, Illustration, Intermedia, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Video and Sound. The MFA in Visual Studies presents the thesis work of its graduates, the culmination of two years of multi-disciplinary and mentor-based study, in a special exhibition at Vigor Industrial on Swan Island.
The MFA in Collaborative Design presents the capstone projects of its graduates whose mentor-based program focuses on experimental and interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving.
The MFA in Applied Craft and Design program presents the practicum work of its graduates, marking the culmination of two years of hands-on designing and making. The thesis exhibition at 404 SE 6th Avenue features projects that explore the convergence of art, craft, and design practices. PNCA’s undergraduate curriculum features an intensive studio experience, beginning with a foundation in basic techniques and progressing through periods of innovation and critical study, while preparing students for a sustainable life of creative practice.
PNCA’s graduate programs support advanced students in visual art, craft, design, and performance as well as creative research and creative problem solving.
About Pacific Northwest College of Art As Oregon’s flagship college of art and design since 1909, Pacific Northwest College of Art has helped shape Oregon’s visual arts landscape for more than a century. PNCA students study with award-winning faculty in small classes. In the last seven years, PNCA has doubled both the student body and full-time faculty, quadrupled its endowment, and added innovative undergraduate and graduate programs. PNCA is now embarking on its boldest venture yet by establishing the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design as an anchor for the College’s vision of a new campus home on Portland’s North Park Blocks. Focusing on the transformative power of creativity, the capital campaign, Creativity Works Here, was launched in June 2012 with a lead gift from The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation of $5 million.
PNCA’s new home will be a bustling hub for creativity and entrepreneurship, reflecting the influential role of art and design in our 21st century economy – both in Portland and beyond. For more information, visit pnca.edu.
More information on PNCA’s BFA, MFA, and MA programs including the new MA in Critical Theory and Creative Research, Low-Residence MFA in Visual Studies, and undergraduate major Video and Sound can be found on the PNCA website at pnca.edu/programs/c/overview