Dear Students,
It has been a year and a half since we left campus back on March 13th, 2020. Amid all of the uncertainty and upheaval this pandemic has caused, we have learned that we can adapt and persevere. As fall approaches, I anticipate our return to campus and in-person learning with excitement and optimism. Our staff has been hard at work preparing our studios and classrooms for you. We are dusting things off, sprucing things up, and bringing our facilities back into shape. We welcome this opportunity to focus on the immense creative energy, imagination, artistry, and inventiveness that each of you, both new and returning students, will bring with you.
We have missed you!
The last year marked several initiatives including last spring's Anti-Racist Art School Symposium, ongoing faculty training, and various meetings across the School to meet with students, alumni and faculty. This work is important and takes both time and commitment from faculty, staff and students. As we prepare for the coming year we remain deeply committed and will continue to focus on diversity, equity, cultural responsiveness, and inclusion within our School.
We also received word that funding for a new Art + Design building was approved by the Legislature. Once housed exclusively on the 2nd floor of Fariborz Maseeh Hall (formerly Neuberger Hall), our growing programs have sprawled to five locations across campus over the last twenty years. We are thrilled to know that in the near future all our programs will be together again, under one roof.
While the return to campus is exciting, the pandemic isn’t over. We are just learning to live with it. It means that we all need to come together as a community and do our part to contain the spread of Covid-19. Masks are required on campus, and so are vaccinations. As you prepare your return to campus please take a look at PSU's Covid-19 Resources full of information and health precautions to help guide you.
Welcome back!
Lis Charman
Director, School of Art + Design
Here are just some of our recent news items as well as upcoming events and exhibitions.
Recent News
Welcome garima thakur!
We are pleased to introduce our newest faculty member, garima thakur. garima will be teaching Interactive Media I and Foundations in Motion, UI, and UX and Design Thinking.
CETI Institute
Our partnership with CETI (Creative And Emergent Technology Institute) got off to a great start this summer through a series of Enchanted Tech workshops. The sessions focused on wearables, costumes, masks, avatars, and cosplay using creative technology, electronics, craft, sewing, music, and art. If you missed it you can find videos of the workshops and guest speakers on the CETI YouTube channel. Stay tuned! There will be more from CETI in the coming year.
New Murals
Be sure to check out the south wall of the Art Building, then walk over to Montgomery Plaza (next to the Karl Miller Building) for a street painting, both by Nia Musiba, Sonia Chavez, and Naomi Likayi from PSUGD Comma.
Upcoming Events
- Show & Tell Graphic Design Lecture Series – Thursdays at noon
- KSMoCA Artist Lectures
- MFA Studio Artist Talks
- Textile Arts Lecture Series
You’ll find information about all upcoming events on our website.
Fall Exhibitions
9th Annual Arlene Schnitzer Visual Arts Prize Exhibition
November 2-December 4, 2021
Reception and Awards Ceremony: Thursday, November 18, 5-7pm
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU
Louise Bourgeois: What is the Shape of this Problem
August 31 – December 4, 2021
Reception: September 30, 2021, 4–7pm
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at PSU
Deinum Prize Showcase: Auditing an MFA
September 27-December 10, 2021
An exhibition that explores Master Artist Michael Bernard Stevenson Jr.'s (MAMBSJ) journey to earn their Master of Fine Arts degree in the Art + Social Practice Program at Portland State University.
Artist Talk October 1, 5pm in Lincoln Hall Room 75
Broadway Gallery, Lincoln Hall, SW Broadway at Market
Images: Street mural at Montgomery Street Plaza on the Portland State University Campus (top) and mural on the south wall of the Art Building, both painted by students from the PSUGD Comma collective.