Pacific Northwest College of Art

Founded in 1909 as part of the Portland Art Museum, the school was originally known as the Museum Art School with Anna Belle Crocker serving as the head of the school; Kate Cameron Simmons was the first hired teacher. After the Pietro Belluschi designed home of the museum opened in 1932, the school moved into the upper floors of the building. In 1981, the school changed its name to Pacific Northwest College of Art in order to reflect its independence from the museum. Manley proposed a plan to the school's board in 2004 to expand the college and move towards Portland's North Park Blocks. As part of its move to the Old Town area, the college sold its main building in the Pearl District in 2013 for $11.75 million. The school secured $20 million in loans from the Portland Development Commission in November 2013 to fund the renovations. Renovations were completed in January 2015, with classes starting at the new campus in February 2015. In late 2018, the college briefly explored merging with the Oregon College of Art and Craft but they decided against the merger. Two years later, PNCA announced plans to merge with Willamette University to become the fourth college within the university. On June 30, 2021, the merger was finalized. PNCA retains its campus in downtown Portland at the 511 Federal Building and will offer classes for Willamette University students as well as allow art students to take classes at the Willamette's Salem campus. ==Campus and facilities==

As of February 2015, PNCA's main campus building, known as the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design, is located at 511 NW Broadway in northwest Portland, in the Pearl District. Known previously as the 511 Federal Building, it is a former post office that is on the National Register of Historic Places. ArtHouse The college opened its first student housing in 2013 with the completion of ArtHouse at NW Park and Couch. Designed by architect Thomas Robinson, the project cost $7.3 million to build the modernistic structure. Glass building The Glass building was formerly an industrial glass manufacturing warehouse located at 2139 N Kerby in north Portland, which has now PNCA's applied arts studio. It consists of individual MFA studios surrounded by communal wood, metal, sculpture, plaster, ceramics, and fiber facilities. Exhibition spaces PNCA's exhibition department is the Center for Contemporary Art & Culture (CCAC), which is a platform for cultural production including exhibition, lecture, performance, and publication. CCAC is directed by Mack McFarland and has exhibited artists including Wangechi Mutu, Cauleen Smith, James Rosenquist, and David Horvitz. CCAC has two galleries, the 511 Gallery (formerly the Philip Feldman Gallery + Project Space) and the Dorothy Lemelson Innovation Studio. Additional exhibition spaces include Holt Gallery, Gallery 157, Gallery B10, and New Commons. The Lodge Gallery @ Allied Works Architecture host regular exhibitions. Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design In March, 2008, PNCA announced the U.S. Department of Education and the General Services Administration approved PNCA's application to make the 511 Federal Building a permanent part of the school's campus. ==Academics==

When the college was independent, it was accredited by both the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Programs and degrees PNCA offers 11 Bachelor of Fine Arts programs and 8 graduate programs. In addition to degrees, the college offers pre-college programs of high school programs, classes, and intensives. PNCA previously provided Community Education in art and design to the local community but this program ended in 2023. Students In 2024, there were 522 undergraduate students and 125 graduate students at PNCA with a 9 to 1 student to faculty ratio. The continuing education program at that time served approximately 1,450 students part-time each year. • Monica Drake, award-winning author, designed and launched the BFA in Writing; initiated and launched the Native Voices Speaker Series, funded primarily by the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation. • Kristan Kennedy, award-winning artist and Artistic Director and Curator of Visual Art at the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) who also oversees the Precipice Fund, a grant for artist-run organizations and collaborative projects in Portland, Oregon, as part of the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts’ Regional Regranting Program. ==References==