EXPAND YOUR ART AT PNCA
OUR MFA IN VISUAL STUDIES
THROUGH OUR VISUAL STUDIES PROGRAM, STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE A WIDE VARIETY OF ARTISTIC MEDIUMS – FROM PAINTING AND SCULPTURE TO DIGITAL AND EMERGING MEDIA.
We encourage experimentation and multidisciplinary exploration, knowing that inspiring art emerges from the exchange of ideas and imagination.
Students will learn to think critically about their work, considering how they can use art to communicate new ideas and perspectives. The program fosters a close-knit creative community where students collaborate and push one another to take risks and deepen their approach.
No matter what path you want your art to take, you will gain meaningful experience and develop a creative voice that is entirely your own in our program.
CONVERGE 45 AND PICA’S TIME-BASED ART FESTIVAL
At PNCA, we believe that community engagement is inherently tied to creating compelling art. As part of our mission to serve as the front porch for creative discussion in Portland, we partner with local arts organizations such as Converge 45 and the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art to host talks, panels, workshops, and studio visits from internationally-renowned visiting artists. These events offer both our students and members of the Portland community to come together and engage with art in a co-created experience.
FACULTY HIGHLIGHT PROGRAM TRIPS
Visual Studies students have the opportunity to expand their creativity and gain new perspectives through travel. The program sponsors a group trip to various locations across the world, including Mexico City and New York City. During these trips, students meet with contemporary artists and curators for networking and professional development, attend arts events, and visit art museums, allowing them to better understand the complexities of the broader art market nationally and internationally.
CALDERA RESIDENCY
During their second year in the program, Visual Studies students gather in stunning rural Oregon and experience an immersive artists’ retreat. They are joined by a visiting artist/ writer, scholar, curator, or critic who will lead conversation and offer personalized advice toward thesis development. This is an opportunity for students to deeply engage with their creative work, develop their critical perspective, and share feedback and support with their peers.
GARRICK IMATANI
Chair of MFA in Visual Studies
Garrick Imatani is a visual artist working across mediums of sculpture, photography, video, drawing, installation, and public art. His interdisciplinary practice and broad teaching background allows him to support students on a wide range of creative journeys. He is the recipient of fellowships and awards from the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Ucross Foundation, Djerassi, and Ragdale, and has received grant support from The Andy Warhol Foundation, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, The Ford Family Foundation, Oregon Arts Commission, Maine Arts Commission, Regional Arts & Culture Council, and Percent for Art.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
DANIELA REPAS (‘20)
Daniela Repas’s work brings together several mediums including drawing, animation, installation, and film. Her film Pour the Water as I Leave was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. She previously won a Princess Grace Award and was selected as an IEFTA emerging filmmaker. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally and she has participated in exhibitions as both an artist and curator. She is also a founding member of the DripDrop collective.
OUR DUAL MFA/MA
THE DUAL DEGREE MFA/ MA PROGRAM OFFERS A BALANCED EDUCATION THAT EMPHASIZES BOTH CREATIVE PRACTICE AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS.
Students in the dual degree program earn both an MA in Critical Studies and an MFA in either Visual Studies or Print Media in three years.
The Critical Studies program provides support for research and writing, as well as introducing critical lenses such as feminist and queer studies, and postcolonial and critical race theory. The Visual Studies and Print Media programs emphasize creative practice and experimentation that is framed and enhanced by this critical research and writing.
Deepen your understanding of art, creative practice, and critical analysis with a dual degree program and set yourself up for a variety of career options.
BENEFITS
OF A DUAL DEGREE
By combining the academic skills of an MA with the rigorous creative practice of an MFA, students develop a well-rounded perspective on art and culture. Students learn to think critically about their work and the work of others and gain an understanding of the cultural, social, and historic context of contemporary art. A dual degree opens up a wide range of career possibilities, including paths in academia, publishing, nonprofits, and museum work.
CALDERA RESIDENCY
Dual degree students join their peers in rural Oregon for a multi-day thesis writing retreat. Students engage in intensive study, dialogue, and community as they spend time developing and writing their thesis. Along with members of PNCA’s faculty, students share ideas and feedback in a supportive, close-knit environment.
FACULTY HIGHLIGHT
SHAWNA LIPTON
Chair of MA in Critical Studies
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies
Shawna Lipton is a scholar who has been invited to speak at the TimeBased Art Festival and is on the Board of Directors of the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA). She received her Ph.D. in Literature and Cultural Theory from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her research and teaching interests include visual studies, critical pedagogy, and gender studies. Her critical writing has been published in New Cinemas and QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
ASHLEY HOLLAN (‘21)
Ashley Hollan holds dual degrees in Critical Studies (MA) and Visual Studies (MFA) from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. She also earned her BA in Public Policy and Visual Art/Art History at Duke University, and attended law school at the University of Denver. In addition to residencies, collaborations, and independent studies, Ashley’s work has been exhibited throughout the Southern and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States and online. She currently serves as a Visiting Professor of Arts Administration and Art at Elon University.
HALLIE FORD SCHOOL
OUR LOW-RESIDENCY MFA IN VISUAL STUDIES
THE LOW-RESIDENCY VISUAL STUDIES PROGRAM COMBINES THE DEEP STUDY OF AN MFA AND THE RIGOROUS PRACTICE OF A RESIDENCY – WHILE BEING ACCESSIBLE TO PEOPLE WITH BUSY LIVES.
The program supports students creating work in a wide variety of mediums.
Through the low-residency program, students develop self-discipline and a creative practice that fits in with their daily life. As a result, they end the program with a practice that is sustainable long after graduation.
For working professionals and those with personal responsibilities who can’t relocate full-time for school, the lowresidency program offers the perfect opportunity to expand your creativity.
THE LOWRESIDENCY MODEL
Low-residency students create work at home throughout the school year and then come together during the summer to connect with fellow artists and focus on their work. Students are thoughtfully paired with a professional artist from our international network who will act as their mentor. This one-on-one partnership fosters a personalized education experience. Mentors offer feedback and guidance and maintain low-residency students’ connection to the program.
RESIDENCY
For three consecutive summers, students gather at the PNCA campus for a seven week residency. Over the course of these weeks, students engage in graduate seminars, critiques, studio visits, visiting artist lectures, technical workshops, and focused studio time. During the residencies, each student is given their own studio space to work in as well as access to every lab, tool, and workstation on campus.
FACULTY HIGHLIGHT
RYAN PIERCE
Chair of Low-Residency MFA in Visual Studies
Ryan Pierce is a multidisciplinary artist who creates paintings, prints, and experimental artist books. He has received grants from the Joan Mitchell and San Francisco Foundations and an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Oregon Arts Commission. Pierce has been an artist in residence at the Djerassi and Ucross Foundations, Lademoen Kunstnerverksteder in Norway, and a fellow at the Jordan Schnitzer Printmaking Residency at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology, where he now serves on the Board of Directors. He is the co-founder of Signal Fire, a group that facilitated wilderness residencies and retreats for artists of all disciplines from 2009-19.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
JOE BUN KEO (‘23)
Joe Bun Keo is a Khmer (Cambodian) American artist working and residing in Connecticut. In 2023 he received the Real Art Award and a solo exhibition at Real Art Ways in Hartford. He is also a recipient of the Artist Fellowship Emerging Recognition from the Connecticut Office of Arts. Joe’s work focuses on unpacking intergenerational trauma through the scope of neomaterialism, the most recent iteration the Duchampian school of thought on readymades and found objects.
OUR POST-BACCALAUREATE RESIDENCY
THE POSTBACCALAUREATE RESIDENCY IS A RIGOROUS PROGRAM THAT WILL PREPARE YOU TO BE A PRACTICING ARTIST.
Over the course of two semesters, students create a body of work and develop a portfolio tailored to their own goals.
This is a studio-based program where students immerse themselves in creative practice with personalized mentor support. Students choose a pathway among four areas of focus: Design Arts, Media Arts, Studio Arts, and Creative Writing.
Bolster your creative practice and set yourself up for a career in the arts with a one-year residency.
BENEFITS OF THE RESIDENCY
The condensed format of the residency allows students to focus on creating work and developing a unique voice. Each student gets their own dedicated studio space to work in and access to every resource PNCA has to offer. This allows them to create meaningful work that reflects their style and perspective, resulting in a strong portfolio. With the self-discipline cultivated during the residency and the body of work created, students are prepared for a wide range of careers in the arts.
PORTLAND
Portland is one of the most creative cities in the nation and a defining part of the Pacific Northwest’s cultural and creative identity. By choosing to study in Portland, you will receive an arts education enhanced by proximity to significant museums, galleries, and institutions in addition to cultural nonprofits and a thriving community of makers. Artists in the Portland community frequently visit campus as mentors, guest lecturers, and visiting artists, offering our students new perspectives and opportunities to build connections in the art world.
MENTORSHIP
The Post-Baccalaureate Residency is a mentorship-based program. Students are thoughtfully paired with a mentor from PNCA’s faculty or the Portland community who will offer guidance throughout the residency. The mentor relationship is a personalized, one-on-one partnership in which students can talk through ideas and receive feedback as they cultivate their unique voice.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
EMERY BRADLINA (‘21)
Emery Bradlina used her time in the residency to focus on typography, type design, logo design, and brand systems design. Since completing the residency, she has worked as a graphic design specialist for Backpacker’s Pantry and Chef Soraya and a freelance graphic designer for Oregon Wild. Currently, she works as a designer for the Liquid Agency where she works closely with clients to develop recognizable branding.
LABS, TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
PNCA OFFERS CUTTINGEDGE LABS, INNOVATIVE TOOLS, AND STATE-OFTHE-ART EQUIPMENT, EMPOWERING STUDENTS TO EXPLORE THEIR CREATIVITY AND HONE THEIR ARTISTIC SKILLS.
• Painting studios
• Woodshop
• Metalshop
• Soft sculpture studio
• Sewing room
• Ceramics studio
• Photography lab
• Animated arts lab
• Digital fine art printing lab
GLASS BUILDING
Housed in a former glass fabrication warehouse, our 3D workshops in the Glass Building include a woodshop, metals shop, soft sculpture studio, sewing room, digital fabrication space, spray booth, and ceramics studio with a glaze room and mold-making room.
STUDENT GALLERIES
Throughout the year, students mount public exhibitions of their work in student galleries, the Atrium, and the Commons in the main campus building, our dedicated graduate galleries in the Glass Building, and with community partners including PLACE gallery.
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY LAB
The Lab offers opportunities to explore emerging technologies, augmented and virtual reality, (digital) fabrication and prototyping, creative coding, data science, systems-thinking, the internet of things and smart technologies, creative entrepreneurship, STEAM, and privacy and security.
