Transforming the North Park Blocks
—Harold Schnitzer
PNCA’s vision for a campus centered on the North Park Blocks aligns with Portland’s emerging creative services economy. John Jay, executive creative director for Wieden+Kennedy, describes the project’s importance: “Our collective future rests in our ability to create, attract, maintain, and cultivate the business of ideas and innovation. PNCA’s Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design will be the intersection of this city’s intellectual and artistic dialogue.”
Key businesses, organizations, and schools in this “creative corridor” will act as informal social and professional gathering spots which link young creatives with the tools, technologies, and practices that use imagination as a springboard to inventiveness.
Exterior rendering of PNCA’s Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design. Courtesy Allied Works Architecture.
PNCA’s Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design will add 134,000 square feet to the PNCA campus, allowing for the College’s planned growth to 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students by 2018. It will also become a beacon for an expanding constellation of creative bases north of Burnside. These encompass a wide range of businesses, galleries, and creative incubators including Wieden+Kennedy, Keen Footwear, Ziba design, Blick Art Materials, Dachis group, and Powell’s Books.
Architect’s rendering of ArtHouse. Courtesy Lever Architecture / LRS Architects.
ArtHouse is a dedicated PNCA student housing community that will open Fall 2013. Anticipating PNCA’s expansion, the Powell Family has collaborated with PNCA to develop ArtHouse on their property that formerly housed Powell’s Technical Bookstore on the North Park Blocks. The 7-story building will house 150 students and include a ground-floor café plus retail and gallery spaces.
Museum of Contemporary Craft. Photo: Basil Childers
Founded in 1937, Museum of Contemporary Craft (MoCC) in partnership with Pacific Northwest College of Art is a vibrant center for investigation and dialogue that helps expand the definition and exploration of craft. Through dynamic exhibitions and provocative public programming supported by the Museum’s collection and archives, the Museum advances the conversation on the role of craft and design in contemporary culture while at the same time honoring the history of the studio craft movement. PNCA faculty and students alike visit and participate in museum programs and exhibitions, drawing a deep connection between art education, craft, design, and the museum experience. The Museum is located in the DeSoto arts building on the North Park Blocks and shares quarters with some of Portland’s premier art spaces: Blue Sky Gallery, Charles Hartman Fine Art, Augen Gallery, and Froelick Gallery.
Creativity Works Here
PNCA is now embarking on our boldest venture yet: a $15 million campaign to transform not just a college, but a city, 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, thanks to a lead gift from The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation of $5 million to name the historic former post office at 511 NW Broadway.
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Undergraduate Majors
Animated Arts
Communication Design
General Fine Arts
Illustration
Intermedia
Painting
Photography
Printmaking
Sculpture
Writing
Video and Sound
Graduate Programs
MFA in Applied Craft and Design
MFA in Collaborative Design
MFA in Visual Studies
Low-residency MFA in Visual Studies
MA in Critical Theory and Creative Research
