In a world grappling with tectonic cultural shifts, economic instability, and rapidly evolving technologies, the role of art education is being fundamentally redefined. At the epicenter of this transformation is Portland’s Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), now a flagship institution within Willamette University—Oregon’s oldest university, founded in 1842. Together, they are forging a new model for creative leadership—one that goes far beyond the studio.
For more than a century, PNCA has stood as a cultural cornerstone in the Pacific Northwest. Established in 1909 as part of the Portland Art Museum, the college has shaped generations of artists, designers, and cultural innovators. In 2021, its merger with Willamette University created a unique academic alliance between liberal arts, management, law, computer and data science, and art—unprecedented in the region. Today, PNCA offers 11 undergraduate and 6 graduate programs, ranging from Animated Arts to Creative Writing, nurturing not only technical expertise but also cross-sector fluency.
In an exclusive interview with Jennifer Gilligan Cole, the Jordan Schnitzer Dean of PNCA at Willamette University, we explore how her background—in cities, policy, and artist economies—is shaping PNCA into a forward-looking institution that sees art education as both “a cultural engine and an economic driver.”
Cole’s vision for PNCA transcends traditional notions of art schools as mere incubators of creativity. Under her leadership, PNCA is being positioned as a key contributor to Oregon’s $800 million creative economy. In Portland alone, the arts and culture sector generated over $405 million in economic activity in 2022, according to Americans for the Arts. Nationally, the arts contribute a staggering $1.1 trillion to the U.S. GDP—outpacing agriculture, construction, and transportation.
“Art education can no longer exist in a vacuum,” says Cole. “It has to be both a cultural engine and an economic driver.” PNCA is responding with a bold reimagining of its curriculum: a four-year creative entrepreneurship track, integrated mental health support, and robust cross-disciplinary collaboration with Willamette’s graduate programs in law and data science. These aren’t just add-ons—they’re foundational.
“Artists aren’t just creators—they’re entrepreneurs, technologists, and civic leaders,” Cole explains. “When you equip them with the right tools, their impact is exponential.” That philosophy is evident not just in policy or programming, but also in the everyday studio culture at PNCA—where creative resilience, collaboration, and joy are treated as foundational skills. Nowhere is this more playfully embodied than in PNCA’s annual Cardboard Couture challenge, a signature event in the 3D Design program that transforms the mundane into the magical.
Each year, students are tasked with creating fully wearable garments using only one material: cardboard. No glue, no tape, no staples, and no decorations. Just pure ingenuity, grit, and the contents of a recycling bin. The project culminates in a red-carpet runway show held at the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer Center for Art & Design. The challenge was conceived over 15 years ago by Associate Professor and Head of Sculpture David Eckard, who saw it as a rite of passage for young artists. “Not being able to use adhesives or any mechanical fastening beyond what can be imagined or made with the cardboard offers up a great challenge that really has no budgetary impact,” he says. “We all go through our recycling bins!”
This mix of rigor and joy is central to Cole’s broader vision: a creative education model that values mental health and emotional sustainability as much as technical mastery. The romanticized image of the tortured, sleep-deprived art student is officially outdated at PNCA, as Cole flips the script on toxic creative culture with a school-wide Academic Wellness Strategy that re-centers balance, mental health, and joy as essential ingredients of sustainable creative careers. From “Joy Breaks” and “Wellness Wednesdays” to moments like Cardboard Couture, PNCA is cultivating what she calls an "ecosystem of creative well-being”—one that prepares students not just to survive the pressures of the industry, but to lead it. This holistic approach is attracting national attention as a model for art institutions seeking to modernize without losing rigor. “What would it look like if an art school were designed for well-being as much as output?” she asks.
Before joining PNCA, Cole served as Chief of Staff at Arizona State University’s Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts—the largest comprehensive design and arts college in the U.S.—where she founded the National Collaborative for Creative Work, a research center examining the intersection of art, labor, and social change. She also has served as board member of Americans for the Arts, chaired the US Urban Arts Federation, and in national advisory roles with Creative Youth Development Network, the National Endowment for the Arts, and many other organizations. Cole was also City of Nashville’s chief cultural officer, where she worked with city leaders and grassroots creatives alike to drive nationally acclaimed models in equitable creative placemaking, public arts funding, and cultural policy.
Portland itself is no stranger to creative innovation. Home to one of the nation’s oldest and most revered cultural institutions—the Portland Art Museum, founded in 1892—the city has long been a magnet for boundary-pushing artists. Its cultural calendar is defined by events like the Time-Based Art Festival, hosted by the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), and the Portland Winter Light Festival, which draws tens of thousands with immersive installations. Yet, despite its vibrant arts community, Portland lacks formally designated cultural districts—an absence that underscores the critical need for institutional anchors like PNCA.
“Cultural ecosystems thrive when there’s intentional clustering—places where creatives, institutions, and local businesses feed each other,” she says. Cole envisions PNCA as a catalytic hub in a decentralized but interconnected cultural network. The school is already Portland’s largest presenter of free public art programming, and its partnerships with civic organizations, businesses, and global institutions are expanding. Through exhibitions, artist residencies, and community design labs, PNCA is positioning itself not just as an educational institution but as an active civic collaborator.
The traditional boundaries of the arts have dissolved. Today’s creatives must navigate everything from intellectual property law to AI ethics and climate innovation. At PNCA, that means embedding adaptability into the curriculum. Courses now explore emerging technologies like augmented reality, blockchain for artists, and human-centered design. Students engage in collaborative studios with peers from Willamette University’s Atkinson Graduate School of Management and the College of Law—learning to pitch projects, analyze data, and prototype for real-world impact. “No art school should operate solely as a studio anymore,” Cole emphasizes. “Our students need to leave with a playbook for creative resilience.”
The integration of PNCA into Willamette University has unlocked powerful synergies. Willamette’s emphasis on civic engagement, policy, and liberal arts provides PNCA students with a rare breadth of academic tools, while PNCA injects a spirit of experimentation and visual literacy into the broader university community. This hybrid model is part of a growing national trend. Institutions like Parsons at The New School and the California Institute of the Arts are blending arts education with social entrepreneurship and public policy.
As cities nationwide struggle with declining arts funding, gentrification, and cultural displacement, PNCA is offering a different future—one where artists are recognized not only for what they create, but for what they build: communities, policies, and economies. “I want PNCA to be a front porch for Portland’s creative community,” Cole says. “A place where people can enter the conversation, challenge assumptions, and imagine something radically new.”
