PNCA Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies Appoints Skye Moret Chair of MFA Collaborative Design and MA Design Systems

Portland, OR – May 21, 2021 – Pacific Northwest College of Art is pleased to announce the appointment of Skye Moret as Chair of MFA Collaborative Design and MA Design Systems (CD/DS) in the Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies. Skye has a long relationship with PNCA, having taught and mentored in CD/DS programs for many years.

“Skye Moret brings a dedication to design’s capacity to effect change and to amplify the voices of the stakeholder, which is at the very core of the CD/DS values,” says MK Guth, director of Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies. “She will couple this with a critical design pedagogy that will help to shape new endeavors in design at the graduate level.”

Skye’s breadth of experience as an artist and educator makes her well-suited for the position, with a practice spanning design, science, and technology. As a data-driven designer and marine scientist, her diverse background on the ocean – having sailed 100,000 miles around the globe – fuels her abiding belief in the power of art and design to critically engage citizens within the ecological complexities and dependencies of our planet. She brings deep experience in teaching and management, with a background in interdisciplinary practice and a passion for systems thinking. Her practice focuses on the affordances of design as they relate to communicating equity and sustainability to different stakeholders in various static forms, browser-based interfaces, and physical installations.

“Skye’s varied professional background and experience working with multidisciplinary teams stood out throughout the search process,” says Search Committee Chair Shawna Lipton. “She brings innovative pedagogy, possibilities for community partnerships, and concrete ideas for collaboration between students and faculty members to the program.”

Prior to her new role at PNCA, Skye’s experience includes roles such as the Design Director at data visualization studio Periscopic, and consulting roles for the United Nations Environment Programme, Nike Global Community Impact, and MIT’s Climate & Sustainability Consortium. She also served as the Senior Researcher for the Ocean Archive project at TBA21–Academy, and was recently honored as a finalist (along with her students) in Fast Company’s 2021 World Changing Ideas Awards for their work designing an innovative honeybee habitat.

About Pacific Northwest College of Art

Pacific Northwest College of Art empowers artists and designers to reimagine what art and design can do in the world. Founded in 1909 as the Museum Art School in Portland, Oregon, PNCA offers 11 majors and 8 minors within the art and design Bachelor of Fine Art programs, 8 graduate programs including Master of Arts and Master of Fine Arts programs within the Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies, a Post-Baccalaureate program, and Community Education courses for artists and designers of all ages. Learn more at pnca.edu.

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