As a creative anchor in the Pacific Northwest, Willamette University’s Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) is dedicated to turning artistic passion into tangible community impact, starting with teenagers. Through its Pre-College Art and Design programs in Portland, PNCA opens its professional studio spaces, advanced technology, and industry-leading faculty to youth ages 14–18, offering young artists meaningful instruction, hands-on experience, and portfolio development at the region’s top school of art and design.
Beyond technical skills, the program focuses on early creative career learning, helping emerging talent build confidence and dream of what is possible.
“The Pre-College program encourages high school students to envision meaningful and resilient creative careers for themselves. While participants leave each program with stronger technical making skills and new work for their portfolios, the program is first and foremost a space for emerging creatives to build confidence and community,” says PNCA Community Programs Coordinator Riley Currie.
Expanding access for Oregon’s emerging artists
In 2025, PNCA’s Pre-College program debuted a new “choose your own adventure” design to mirror the flexibility and multidisciplinarity of contemporary art and design careers. All Pre-College programs are structured around four core disciplines: Foundation, Animation and Creative Tech, Indie Media, and Creativity and Society, and the program’s flexible design lets students mix and match classes. Single-day Saturday classes offer a lower-barrier way for students to experiment with as many disciplines as possible, while multi-day summer programs let students dive deeper.
To ensure local students with talent and passion can access these resources, PNCA has broadened its community outreach, providing free programs at Roosevelt High School in Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood alongside dozens of scholarships and program discounts. This community commitment has driven significant growth, with the program serving 86 students in 2025 and continuing its momentum through 2026.
Experiential learning with the experts
In the Animation Summer Intensive, which launched this year, students are exposed to the breadth of skills required to work in one of Portland’s most in-demand industries. High schoolers in the program work alongside top PNCA educators, including instructor Adina Cohen — recognized for her work on Emmy Award-winning animation projects and LAIKA’s Wildwood — to produce their own original animated shorts.
Students practiced object animation, claymation, pixelation, and hand-drawn 2D animation techniques, creating films out of clay, everyday objects, and drawings made one frame at a time. Their shorts premiered to a packed PNCA Mediatheque theater during the Pre-College Friends and Family Reception.
In 2027, PNCA will launch Summer Studios, a series of shorter, one-week summer programs that focus on specific disciplines. Studio participants will spend five class days experimenting with different mediums, techniques, or tools in workshops and guest artist demos, without the pressure of a final project.
Creating a community of and for “art kids”
“Many identify as 'the art kid' in their life or school, and being in a room of other 'art kids' is invigorating for everyone. A lot of students really find their people in the Pre-College program,” Currie says. "It’s crucial for creatives, especially emerging creatives, to have both trust in their individual artistic voice and a strong community of peers and collaborators to lean on.”
By breaking down barriers to advanced tools, expert instruction, and collaborative spaces, PNCA continues to lead Portland's art ecosystem preparing the region's next generation of makers to shape the future.
PNCA faculty and staff know a win when they hear one. Asked about their pre-college experience, one participant said, “Sad this is over, which honestly means a lot coming from me.”
