Hallie E. Ford, Steward for the Arts and Education in Oregon

PNCA is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mrs. Hallie E. Ford, the College’s dear friend, inspirational supporter and role model throughout the region for what it means to be a steward for the arts and education.

While the passing of Hallie Ford casts a shadow over the many individual lives and organizations she has touched, it is clear that the cultural landscape of the entire region is richer for her years spent in Oregon. Hallie Ford was by nature a quiet, private woman with a deep love of family and a firmly rooted sense of her place in the larger community. In one of her few public statements she said, “It’s not what you have, but what you give to your family, your community and your country.” She demonstrated this belief in tangible ways on a regular basis. Through the Ford Family Foundation and her own philanthropy, she provided funding to the Hallie Ford Museum in Salem, the Ford Scholarship fund, and numerous educational programs. Embodied in all of the philanthropy work of this former teacher was a deep respect and appreciation for the role of education and the arts in feeding a richer, more informed community of citizens.

Pacific Northwest College of Art is honored to have just recently received Mrs. Ford’s largest bequest with the gift of $15 million to fund FIVE, the Ford Institute for Visual Education, a series of Master of Fine Arts programs at PNCA. It is a fitting legacy for a woman who so clearly believed in the inherent power of the arts and education. Through this gift Mrs. Ford is the founder of a program that will not only nurture future generations of students and artists but will also enhance the creativity and economical well being of Oregon, a cause that Mrs. Ford cared deeply about.

In an Oregonian editorial that was published just after the announcement of PNCA’s gift, the resulting reverberation of her generous gift was called “The Hallie Effect.” “Call it the Hallie effect, in honor of a …philanthropist with Oregon’s best interests at heart. Her donation makes Oregon a better place to be creative, which fuels tourism and spinoff businesses. This, in turn, fuels more demand for creativity and generates more enthusiasm for the arts. It’s the art lover’s version of paradise.”

The College is honored to have been able to work with Hallie Ford in creating a vision to shape the future through PNCA’s Ford Institute for Visual Education, a global center for visual art and design education located in Oregon.