Oregon College of Art & Craft
Encyclopedia
Oregon College of Art & Craft (OCAC) is a college in Portland, Oregon
, United States
that grants Bachelor of Fine Arts
degrees and certificates in book arts, ceramics, drawing and painting, fibers, metals, photography and wood. The college also offers an Artist-in-Residence
program and provides continuing education in the arts to the local community. It was founded by Julia Hoffman, a photographer, painter, sculptor, metal worker and weaver, out of her desire to foster the Arts and Crafts movement
through classes and exhibitions.
About 2005 the school started a capital campaign in order to raise over $14 million to expand the campus and double the size of their facilities. Plans called for a new library and studios for their painting, drawing, and photography programs that would add 55000 ft2 of space on campus. In September 2008, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the 15000 ft2 studios building, with plans calling for completion in summer 2009. OCAC announced a joint master's in fine art program for applied craft and design with the Pacific Northwest College of Art
in October 2008. College president Bonnie Laing Malcolmson announced her resignation in December 2009, effective May 2010.
The school is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design
, and is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design
(NASAD). OCAC is a candidate for accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
(NWCCU).
in unincorporated Washington County
. The campus was designed by Barbara Fealy, a landscape architect, and John Storrs, a Portland architect.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that grants Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degrees and certificates in book arts, ceramics, drawing and painting, fibers, metals, photography and wood. The college also offers an Artist-in-Residence
Artist in residence
Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....
program and provides continuing education in the arts to the local community. It was founded by Julia Hoffman, a photographer, painter, sculptor, metal worker and weaver, out of her desire to foster the Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
through classes and exhibitions.
History
OCAC opened in September 1907. The school was formerly known as the Oregon School of Arts & Crafts. In 1978, the school expanded its campus, adding 46000 ft2 of space at a cost of $1.5 million.About 2005 the school started a capital campaign in order to raise over $14 million to expand the campus and double the size of their facilities. Plans called for a new library and studios for their painting, drawing, and photography programs that would add 55000 ft2 of space on campus. In September 2008, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the 15000 ft2 studios building, with plans calling for completion in summer 2009. OCAC announced a joint master's in fine art program for applied craft and design with the Pacific Northwest College of Art
Pacific Northwest College of Art
The Pacific Northwest College of Art is a private fine art and design college in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Established in 1910, the art school grants bachelor of fine arts degrees and master of fine arts degrees and has an enrollment of about 550 students...
in October 2008. College president Bonnie Laing Malcolmson announced her resignation in December 2009, effective May 2010.
Academics
Enrollment in the BFA program is about 140 full-time students. Most students are between 18 and 27 years old. The Continuing Education and Art Adventures children's programs serves more than 2,000 students per year.The school is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design
Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design
The Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design is a non-profit consortium of 41 leading art and design colleges in the United States and Canada. All AICAD member institutions have a curriculum with full liberal arts and sciences requirements complementing studio work, and all are...
, and is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design
National Association of Schools of Art and Design
The National Association of Schools of Art and Design , founded in 1944, is an accrediting organization of colleges, schools and universities in the United States. The organization establishes standards for graduate and undergraduate degrees. Member institutions complete periodic peer review...
(NASAD). OCAC is a candidate for accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities is an independent, non-profit membership organization recognized by the United States Department of Education since 1952 and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation as the regional authority on educational quality and institutional...
(NWCCU).
Degree and certificate areas
- Book artsBookbindingBookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. It usually involves attaching covers to the resulting text-block.-Origins of the book:...
- CeramicsCeramic artIn art history, ceramics and ceramic art mean art objects such as figures, tiles, and tableware made from clay and other raw materials by the process of pottery. Some ceramic products are regarded as fine art, while others are regarded as decorative, industrial or applied art objects, or as...
- DrawingDrawingDrawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
- PaintingPaintingPainting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
- Fiber artFiber artFiber art is a style of fine art which uses textiles such as fabric, yarn, and natural and synthetic fibers. It focuses on the materials and on the manual labour involved as part of its significance.-Fiber:...
- MetalworkingMetalworkingMetalworking is the process of working with metals to create individual parts, assemblies, or large scale structures. The term covers a wide range of work from large ships and bridges to precise engine parts and delicate jewelry. It therefore includes a correspondingly wide range of skills,...
- PhotographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- WoodworkingWoodworkingWoodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood.-History:Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked by early humans. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood...
Faculty
OCAC employs 15 full-time faculty and 8 part-time faculty in the degree program, as well as a number of instructors in the Studio School continuing education program.Campus
OCAC is located on a wooded 9.5 acres (38,445.2 m²) campus, approximately 3 miles from Downtown PortlandDowntown Portland
Downtown Portland, the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States, is located on the west bank of the Willamette River. It is in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and is where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found....
in unincorporated Washington County
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
. The campus was designed by Barbara Fealy, a landscape architect, and John Storrs, a Portland architect.