Go west, young woman.
November 11, 2010 12:13 PM
Asking for a friend: Any experience with Pacific Northwest College of Art?
Specifically, any experience with the Fine Arts Studio Certificate program? My friend is uber geeked out about the idea of living in Portland, OR, and finding this program has proved to be the tipping point. She’s ready to go.
She’s done her research, for the most part, but would like some anecdotal evidence that this is a sound move.
Now, the “why art school?” It’s been her lifelong dream to go, and doesn’t necessarily have any career-oriented goals for going through this program (yet). It’s mainly for personal edification. Hence looking at the certificate-only program.
Questions:
1.) Is it worth the tuition?
2.) Would it be worth the move?*
3.) Did you get to work with a wide variety of different mediums, or is it fairly single-tracked?
4.) Are the faculty and students inspiring to work with?
5.) Is it challenging, or just another set of community classes?
6.) If you’ve been through the program, did you find it worthwhile?
Any other general thoughts/advice about PNCA or living in Portland are also greatly appreciated.
*This school is a lot of the reason she wants to go, but The City Of Portland and “I Need A Change” are the main ones.
I’ll pop back in with her answers, if you guys have any questions for her. Also, it’s pretty cute. I’m quoting her: “PLEASE PLEASE ask the meta people!”
Specifically, any experience with the Fine Arts Studio Certificate program? My friend is uber geeked out about the idea of living in Portland, OR, and finding this program has proved to be the tipping point. She’s ready to go.
She’s done her research, for the most part, but would like some anecdotal evidence that this is a sound move.
Now, the “why art school?” It’s been her lifelong dream to go, and doesn’t necessarily have any career-oriented goals for going through this program (yet). It’s mainly for personal edification. Hence looking at the certificate-only program.
Questions:
1.) Is it worth the tuition?
2.) Would it be worth the move?*
3.) Did you get to work with a wide variety of different mediums, or is it fairly single-tracked?
4.) Are the faculty and students inspiring to work with?
5.) Is it challenging, or just another set of community classes?
6.) If you’ve been through the program, did you find it worthwhile?
Any other general thoughts/advice about PNCA or living in Portland are also greatly appreciated.
*This school is a lot of the reason she wants to go, but The City Of Portland and “I Need A Change” are the main ones.
I’ll pop back in with her answers, if you guys have any questions for her. Also, it’s pretty cute. I’m quoting her: “PLEASE PLEASE ask the meta people!”
1. As far as I'm aware, art school is rarely worth the tuition unless you're going to places like Pratt, Cooper Union, RISD, or SCAD.
2. Portland is not a place to move to unless you have a secure job in hand before you even leave your hometown.
I really wanted to go to art school when I was just out of high school. I looked at PNCA, Cornish, and CCAC and eventually realised that although the environment and experience looked awesome, there really wasn't any future in art for me.
If she's just doing it for the experience and she has some sort of financial support, then she should totally go for it. But if she wants a career in the arts and is going to have to get a job in PDX while she's there? No. Have her look at the schools in more financially stable environments (I see you're in NYC - is she there too? If so, Pratt, Cooper Union, or RISD might be worth looking into, although they're damn competitive.)
posted by elsietheeel at 1:21 PM on November 11, 2010
2. Portland is not a place to move to unless you have a secure job in hand before you even leave your hometown.
I really wanted to go to art school when I was just out of high school. I looked at PNCA, Cornish, and CCAC and eventually realised that although the environment and experience looked awesome, there really wasn't any future in art for me.
If she's just doing it for the experience and she has some sort of financial support, then she should totally go for it. But if she wants a career in the arts and is going to have to get a job in PDX while she's there? No. Have her look at the schools in more financially stable environments (I see you're in NYC - is she there too? If so, Pratt, Cooper Union, or RISD might be worth looking into, although they're damn competitive.)
posted by elsietheeel at 1:21 PM on November 11, 2010
(And haha, Cooper Union doesn't have tuition, so it's TOTALLY worth it!)
posted by elsietheeel at 1:22 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by elsietheeel at 1:22 PM on November 11, 2010
Posting for friend here!
She lives in Atlanta, (not NY with me. Sad.) and took enrichment courses at SCAD ATL, which she didn't find especially challenging. It was more "hobby community course" than real brass tacks learning.
She doesn't want to spend the money for an entirely new degree in art. Hence the *certificate program.* This seems like a good option. Any idea if it's more challenging than SCAD's?
Also, money or job isn't really the issue. She's actually fine in that regard.
posted by functionequalsform at 1:31 PM on November 11, 2010
She lives in Atlanta, (not NY with me. Sad.) and took enrichment courses at SCAD ATL, which she didn't find especially challenging. It was more "hobby community course" than real brass tacks learning.
She doesn't want to spend the money for an entirely new degree in art. Hence the *certificate program.* This seems like a good option. Any idea if it's more challenging than SCAD's?
Also, money or job isn't really the issue. She's actually fine in that regard.
posted by functionequalsform at 1:31 PM on November 11, 2010
I did my undergrad at SCAD, so I can't really speak to their certificate programs, but in general it's very challenging. I would imagine that the certificate programs would serve up the same level of hard work and all-night projects.
posted by InsanePenguin at 2:02 PM on November 11, 2010
posted by InsanePenguin at 2:02 PM on November 11, 2010
As a lifelong Portlander, I can tell you that Portland is a fantastic place to live if you're not worried about finding a job and you can handle 10 months a year of overcast weather. I'm not the least bit bothered by it, as it's all I know, but some of my friends who have moved here over the years say it's a major battle for them. The lack of sun/discernable seasons would probably be a shock to someone from Atlanta.
My sister-in-law took some continuing-ed classes at PNCA and had a really good experience. Art Institute is in the same neighborhood, so there are a lot of art students around. It's in a good part of town. People tend to roll their eyes when you mention the Pearl district because it's so overblown with expensive condos and forgettable furniture stores, but the truth is it's surrounded by good stuff on all sides. You could do a lot worse. I've been to Atlanta. <ducks>
If this is mostly about a change of scenery, your friend should seriously evaluate whether the dismal weather and job market might be too much of a downer.
posted by sportbucket at 2:34 PM on November 11, 2010
My sister-in-law took some continuing-ed classes at PNCA and had a really good experience. Art Institute is in the same neighborhood, so there are a lot of art students around. It's in a good part of town. People tend to roll their eyes when you mention the Pearl district because it's so overblown with expensive condos and forgettable furniture stores, but the truth is it's surrounded by good stuff on all sides. You could do a lot worse. I've been to Atlanta. <ducks>
If this is mostly about a change of scenery, your friend should seriously evaluate whether the dismal weather and job market might be too much of a downer.
posted by sportbucket at 2:34 PM on November 11, 2010
I had several friends attend PNCA. They all complained that the school focused too much on "classical/traditional media" art and methods and that since all new professors were adjunct/assistant/temporary, the school never kept any interesting professors for very long.
However, looking at the certificate course description, maybe classical/traditional is exactly what your friend is looking for?
So
1) I don't know.
2) It's really wet and cold here quite frequently, and without much relief.
3) See above comments about friends who attended being annoyed with not enough attention given to things besides painting/drawing/design.
4) My friends enjoyed some of the professors they had, but then the professor would have to leave within 1-2 years.
5) I don't know.
6) I don't know. I do know it helped several of them get more involved with and make more connections in the tiny Portland art "scene."
posted by MonsieurBon at 3:33 PM on November 11, 2010
However, looking at the certificate course description, maybe classical/traditional is exactly what your friend is looking for?
So
1) I don't know.
2) It's really wet and cold here quite frequently, and without much relief.
3) See above comments about friends who attended being annoyed with not enough attention given to things besides painting/drawing/design.
4) My friends enjoyed some of the professors they had, but then the professor would have to leave within 1-2 years.
5) I don't know.
6) I don't know. I do know it helped several of them get more involved with and make more connections in the tiny Portland art "scene."
posted by MonsieurBon at 3:33 PM on November 11, 2010
Wow. I just looked at the list of faculty, and am totally jealous of your friend's opportunity to do this.
I graduated from the 4-year Communication Design program at PNCA in 2005 and really wished I had more opportunity to deeply explore the fine arts offerings. The fine arts program, as I knew it, is/was pointedly gallery-oriented. Instructors at PNCA must be professionals in their field, not "just" teachers. Two of my most favorite teachers ever are on that list of faculty for the program that your friend is considering.
Paul Missal is a dear, dear man, a wonderful instructor, very active and well-known in the fine-arts community and has an encyclopedic knowledge of traditional painting techniques. I was lucky to take both my "Fine Arts Foundation" year and "Techniques of the Old Masters" from him. We were all sad when he announced his retirement and that 2006 would be his last year teaching full-time, even though he said he would be taking on the odd teaching job in continuing-ed — this looks like a heck of an opportunity to learn from him!
Kurt Hollomon is a drawing and illustration instructor. Waaaay back, his background is in art direction and graphic design, but he made the shift to illustration many years ago. Very enthusiastic, creative and inspiring — a sketching evangelist. His work is less formal, informed by commercial art. I would have majored in illustration if the program hadn't been nixed the year I started (declared dead, it was reinstated my junior year, grrr...). I still wish I could have taken more classes from Kurt.
Benny Fountain graduated the same year as me, 2005, and I personally found his work to be the most technically impressive and artistically appealing (to my taste, natch) of the painting graduates. Again, he is a very traditional artist. I wish I had bought one of his pieces at the thesis show. I don't know him personally, but he obviously has a passion for his art and seemed like a really genuine and generous fellow.
I don't know much about Lynn Kitagawa, except that I've wanted to take her classes and have yet to have a chance to. She is an extremely accomplished illustrator of the medical/botanical stripe.
Financially speaking, I left PNCA with about 30K of very low-interest debt (I did the 4-year program in 3, with transfer credits from a previous BA) that I justified knowing that I could get a job in graphic design directly out of college and start paying it off immediately (I'm still paying it off, slowly but steadily). PNCA probably has more to offer in terms of financial aid now than when I went, they have a stronger endowment now.
I can't compare it to other schools, but it is your best bet for fine art in Portland. I think it would be a great institution for someone who is serious about becoming a gallery artist *and* coming to Portland. There is a great arts community to be found there that would aid your being "plugged in" after graduation. It's definitely fine-art focused at its heart and someone who shares that focus would be happiest there.
posted by abberdab at 9:47 AM on November 12, 2010
I graduated from the 4-year Communication Design program at PNCA in 2005 and really wished I had more opportunity to deeply explore the fine arts offerings. The fine arts program, as I knew it, is/was pointedly gallery-oriented. Instructors at PNCA must be professionals in their field, not "just" teachers. Two of my most favorite teachers ever are on that list of faculty for the program that your friend is considering.
Paul Missal is a dear, dear man, a wonderful instructor, very active and well-known in the fine-arts community and has an encyclopedic knowledge of traditional painting techniques. I was lucky to take both my "Fine Arts Foundation" year and "Techniques of the Old Masters" from him. We were all sad when he announced his retirement and that 2006 would be his last year teaching full-time, even though he said he would be taking on the odd teaching job in continuing-ed — this looks like a heck of an opportunity to learn from him!
Kurt Hollomon is a drawing and illustration instructor. Waaaay back, his background is in art direction and graphic design, but he made the shift to illustration many years ago. Very enthusiastic, creative and inspiring — a sketching evangelist. His work is less formal, informed by commercial art. I would have majored in illustration if the program hadn't been nixed the year I started (declared dead, it was reinstated my junior year, grrr...). I still wish I could have taken more classes from Kurt.
Benny Fountain graduated the same year as me, 2005, and I personally found his work to be the most technically impressive and artistically appealing (to my taste, natch) of the painting graduates. Again, he is a very traditional artist. I wish I had bought one of his pieces at the thesis show. I don't know him personally, but he obviously has a passion for his art and seemed like a really genuine and generous fellow.
I don't know much about Lynn Kitagawa, except that I've wanted to take her classes and have yet to have a chance to. She is an extremely accomplished illustrator of the medical/botanical stripe.
Financially speaking, I left PNCA with about 30K of very low-interest debt (I did the 4-year program in 3, with transfer credits from a previous BA) that I justified knowing that I could get a job in graphic design directly out of college and start paying it off immediately (I'm still paying it off, slowly but steadily). PNCA probably has more to offer in terms of financial aid now than when I went, they have a stronger endowment now.
I can't compare it to other schools, but it is your best bet for fine art in Portland. I think it would be a great institution for someone who is serious about becoming a gallery artist *and* coming to Portland. There is a great arts community to be found there that would aid your being "plugged in" after graduation. It's definitely fine-art focused at its heart and someone who shares that focus would be happiest there.
posted by abberdab at 9:47 AM on November 12, 2010
Just wanted to throw a different option out there. Why not move to Oregon and find a local artist to study with? Many artists offer lessons and workshops and they may be willing to take on a student/apprentice. They could even take classes at PNCA or elsewhere without having to be inside a formal program. Or maybe even join a shared studio space and work alongside other artists. The main advantage to this approach is that they wouldn't just be learning art, but would be inside the art world meeting other artists and getting to know the local art scene.
I wouldn't recommend this to a beginner though. It does take a while to get to the point where you have any confidence in what you're doing that you can do your own thing. If they would get more out of formalized instruction and portfolio assignments, then having a class structure would be better. It depends on an individual's learning style, as well as personality.
As for the certificate, personally I think that's a lot of money to spend, but if money or a job isn't really an issue, than why not? Though they'd probably want to go through the usual college stuff - ask to get in touch with alumni, speak to an admissions counselor, visit the school or sit in on a class, and get opinions on everything from current students.
posted by everyday_naturalist at 7:23 PM on November 12, 2010
I wouldn't recommend this to a beginner though. It does take a while to get to the point where you have any confidence in what you're doing that you can do your own thing. If they would get more out of formalized instruction and portfolio assignments, then having a class structure would be better. It depends on an individual's learning style, as well as personality.
As for the certificate, personally I think that's a lot of money to spend, but if money or a job isn't really an issue, than why not? Though they'd probably want to go through the usual college stuff - ask to get in touch with alumni, speak to an admissions counselor, visit the school or sit in on a class, and get opinions on everything from current students.
posted by everyday_naturalist at 7:23 PM on November 12, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
I try to dissuade people from moving to Portland right now because of the job market is horrendous, housing market, and just about everything except the bike lanes and coffee, but if your friend wants to move to Portland so badly, and needs a change, but there are drastically cheaper ways of existing here than attending PNCA (but seriously, there aren't any jobs left).
posted by furnace.heart at 12:30 PM on November 11, 2010