Pacific Northwest College Of Art

Pacific Northwest College of Art is the leading professional arts and design school in the Northwest; we are the heartbeat of learning and experimentation in Portland’s vibrant cultural ecosystem. 

We spark curiosity and sharpen skills so students can build creative careers anchored in innovation, justice and civic imagination. We believe that creative work is built in studios, labs and galleries but also in community centers, start-ups, watersheds and in the public square.

Our relationships with the other colleges at Willamette University, give our students a unique opportunity to build rigorous studio practice and experimentation alongside opportunities to connect art and design to science, business, and social justice

At the creative heart of Portland, PNCA is a center for communities of artists, designers, and scholars, presenting more free public programs and exhibitions in a given year than any other arts institution in the city. We are part of the offbeat, challenging and constantly evolving cultural scene in the Northwest. 

PNCA is the front porch for the creative ecosystem in Portland. Each year we present a wide range of lectures and exhibits; offer community education courses and host everything from block parties to art fairs to community coding, making and zine events.

Our Mission: 

• We prepare students for a life of creative practice.

Our Four Core Themes—integrated throughout our curriculum and everything we do—give students the tools to thrive as creative people in the world.

Studio Practice

• We teach young people necessary studio habits of mind and hand.

Critical Inquiry

• We give students the tools to examine existing and emerging cultural, social and political conditions and to make informed judgments.

World View

• We encourage understanding of diverse cultures and teach students to recognize the interconnectedness of both natural and human systems.

Professional Practice

• We equip students with tools and best practices for optimal professional growth.

Vision

• We empower students to reimagine what art and design can do in the world.
• As artists and designers, radically reimagining everything is at the heart of what we do every day in the studio when we are at our best.
• We challenge our students to think big and to extend their creative problem solving superpowers well beyond the traditional horizons of art and design.