Pacific Northwest College of Art

The Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) is an art school of Willamette University and is located in Portland, Oregon. Established in 1909, the art school grants Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees and graduate degrees including the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Master of Arts (MA) degrees. It has an enrollment of about 500 students. The college merged with Willamette University in 2021. The college has 12 Bachelor of Fine Arts majors and eight graduate programs, a dual-degree MA/MFA option, and a Post-Baccalaureate program within the Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies. PNCA also provides Community Education in art and design to the local community. History 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. The independence was solidified in April 1994 when the college formally split from the art museum and was incorporated as a legal entity distinct from the museum. In 1998, the college moved to its former campus in Portland's Pearl District. PNCA hired Thomas Manley in 2003 as president of the institution, replacing Sally Lawrence. Manley proposed a plan to the school's board in 2004 to expand the college and move towards Portland's North Park Blocks. The plan received a boost in 2007 when Hallie Ford donated $15 million to the school.