Pacific Northwest College of Art Receives Unprecedented $15 Million Gift from Mrs. Hallie Ford to Create PNCA's Ford Institute for Visual Education

(PRWEB) May 22, 2007 -- Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) today announced that Mrs. Hallie E. Ford, a lifelong supporter of the arts and co-founder of the Ford Family Foundation of Oregon, has given a gift of $15 million to the College to create PNCA's Ford Institute for Visual Education (FIVE). Mrs. Ford's generous gift--the largest to an arts organization in Oregon's history--will fund the formation of new Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs at PNCA, based on a world-class artist-in-residence program. The first of these new graduate level programs, an MFA in Visual Studies, launches this fall with the first class graduating in PNCA's centennial year of 2009.
   
The innovative programs at PNCA's FIVE will establish collaborative relationships with the region's vital creative art and business communities, serving as an incubator for creative research and idea generation and infusing the Northwest economy with new ideas, talent, jobs, enterprises and global connections.
   
"This extraordinary gift not only validates the College's artistic legacy but also assures its future as a dynamic force in the Northwest and around the world," said Tom Manley, president of PNCA. "Most of all, though, the gift underscores the passion that Hallie Ford has for education and the arts. By having the new institute carry Mrs. Ford's name we not only intend to honor her longstanding commitment to education and the arts, but hope to inspire others by her passion, vision and generosity," Manley added.

Hallie E. Ford, who started her professional career as a teacher, has long been committed to education as a source of community betterment. Today, Mrs. Ford is recognized throughout the state for her philanthropic endeavors. With her personal resources and those of the Ford Family Foundation she has tirelessly worked to benefit education and the arts in Oregon and in her home state of Oklahoma.

It's not what you have, but what you give to your family, your community and your country "It's not what you have, but what you give to your family, your community and your country," said Hallie Ford in a written statement. Because of Mrs. Ford's gift, the Ford Institute for Visual Education at PNCA will be able to attract and sustain a core faculty of artists-in-residence who will represent the most accomplished artists, designers, faculty and creative thinkers around the world. PNCA's FIVE graduate programs in the visual arts and related creative research will be enhanced through a vibrant series of exhibitions, lectures and symposiums. Collaborative relationships with the Northwest's top enterprises and educational institutions will enable PNCA's FIVE to serve as a hub for integrating the arts, science and business communities. And because PNCA has always been a public trust institution, this gift and the innovative programs it will fund will continue to benefit the community for the next century and beyond.
   
"At a time when creativity has become the new international currency, it is clear that dynamic institutions like PNCA have a central role to play in developing our region's capacity to lead and innovate in a global creative economy," said Manley. "I believe Oregon and the Northwest have much to contribute to how that economy is distinctively shaped and sustained over the next few decades. To make that happen, however, we will need to invest in a vision and model that will multiply resources, ideas, businesses and benefits broadly," Manley continued. "PNCA + FIVE provides precisely that kind of vision and model, and as the State's flagship visual arts school, PNCA has a critical role to play in making Oregon State of the Arts."
About Hallie E. Ford
   
Hallie E. Ford was born in Oklahoma, where her family persevered through the Great Depression. She learned the value of higher education at East Central Oklahoma University, where she earned her teaching degree. She migrated to Oregon and became part of a pioneer forest products family that has established a great legacy in rural communities in the state. She is one of the founders of The Ford Family Foundation, headquartered in Roseburg, Oregon. The Ford Opportunity Scholarship Program that has changed many lives for the better is operated by the Foundation for single parents lacking financial resources for college. Mrs. Ford's community is Oregon.

"It's her love of education, the arts, the people of Oregon and the region that motivates her to make this investment of her resources in Pacific Northwest College of Art", said a family spokesperson.

About PNCA
   
Since its founding in 1909, Pacific Northwest College of Art has continued to evolve into a leader in innovative educational programming that connects students to a global perspective in the visual arts. Small class sizes, strong mentor relationships with faculty and an emphasis on studio-based learning guides PNCA's Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communication Design, Illustration, Intermedia, General Fine Arts, Painting, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture. In addition, the College offers a mentor-based MFA in Visual Studies that allows students to create a studio-centered curriculum to support their personal artistic vision. For more information, visit www.pnca.edu.

For more information, please contact:
Kathleen Mazzocco
503-577-7591

Becca Biggs
503-821-8892