PNCA Reports $1 Million Gift from Brian Wannamaker of Falcon Art

Tuesday, June 09, 2015

Byron Beck, GoLocalPDX Features Editor

Brian Wannamaker

Brian Wannamaker at Falcon Art. Photo by Byron Beck.

One of GoLocalPDX’s “25 New Cool People,” Brian Wannamaker, recently scooped up a beloved but long-abandoned Old Town building at the west end of the Steel Bridge. Now he’s given a very large gift to his nearby “neighbor.” Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) just announced a gift of $1 million from Brian Wannamaker, a Portland-based developer and supporter of the arts.

PNCA recently signed a ten-year lease with Wannamaker for the first three floors of the 321 NW Glisan building. It is a seven-story, 97,000 square-foot former cold storage building at 321 NW Glisan Street that Wannamaker purchased for $9.3 million.

PNCA’s 31,000 sq. feet space will house the College's wood, ceramic, and metal shops, MFA in Visual Studies studios, BFA thesis studios, and Post-Baccalaureate studios. Located just two blocks from PNCA’s campus flagship, the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design, the new facility is expected to be ready for students in August.

Known for decades of urban renewal projects in the city, Wannamaker was a driving force behind transforming North Mississippi Avenue into the promenade of hip boutiques, restaurants and bars it is today. Wannamaker is also known for his project, Falcon Art Community, which brought a languishing building in North Portland back to life as apartments while building studios for visual and musical artists in the build-out of the unused basement.

Wannamaker offered his gift of $1 million to be given over ten years as part of the collaborative development of the 321 NW Glisan building as a place that will foster creativity and enhance the neighborhood. “As our current generation depends on technology more than ever, I find it essential to empower imagination, creativity, and emotion. I could not miss the opportunity to engage with PNCA’s creative vision for the students and to support the artistic movement. 500+ creative students bridging Old Town and The Pearl will undoubtedly enhance an underutilized neighborhood,” says Brian Wannamaker. In addition to studios and the equipment and facilities needed for sculpture, there will be common spaces for social interaction, gallery space for student presentations, and community engagement.

“Partnerships of this sort are what sets Portland apart from many other places,” says PNCA President Tom Manley. “Brian really believes in the power of creativity and is passionate about the arts. By incorporating dynamic, art-supportive elements into his projects, he is willingly investing in the community's art ecology. For PNCA and for Portland, it is vital to have business partners like him.”

Related Slideshow: Party Report: 1st Thursday at PNCA’s new Pearl District Home

Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) hosted its first First Thursday event on March 5, from 6-9 p.m, at theire new campus flagship, the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design.

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Angela and Aaron

PICA's Angela Mattox and OPB's Aaron Scott.

PNCA’s first First Thursday attracted hundreds of people, involved lots of refreshments (popcorn and wine) and was an opportunity for the public to explore the school’s art galleries and student projects. The gallery currently features "Gathering Autonomy: Justseeds Artists’ Cooperative," a cooperative of 30 artists whose work focuses on radical social, environmental, and political topics. There was also work from PNCA students, alumni, and faculty presented at the gallery on the third floor. And there was lots of banging from a community drum circle.