It’s 7 p.m. on a Saturday in February, and the clock is counting down. In quiet corners and lively computer labs at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in downtown Portland, students sew puppets, draw fantastical scenes, and experiment with stop-motion animation. Need a break? Mattresses and sleeping bags are ready, and two friendly dogs scamper around.

Over forty-eight hours, PNCA’s second annual Animation Jam tested students’ ability to make short films together under time pressure, simulating the work of professional animation shops. Teams included undergraduate and graduate students across PNCA, as well as illustration students from Willamette’s Salem campus.

The event was organized by Piper Haswell BFA’25, Mya Katz BFA’25, and PNCA faculty members Christiane Cegavske, Yer Za Vue, and Marilyn Zornado.

This year’s theme of “Once Upon a Time” inspired short films about fairytale heroes, darkly murderous wolves, and one surprisingly friendly sleep paralysis demon.

The mood in PNCA’s Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design was festive and joyful even as the job at hand was serious. Many students arrived in pajamas or costumes (note the Cousin It outfit) and everyone took plenty of time to laugh together as they worked.
The mood in PNCA’s Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Center for Art and Design was festive and joyful even as the job at hand was serious. Many students arrived in pajamas or costumes (note the Cousin It outfit) and everyone took plenty of time to laugh together as they worked.
A student works on a drawing. In addition to hand drawings, the films employed digital art, puppetry, stop motion animation, and more to tell their stories. Original music, sound effects, and voiceovers were produced in PNCA’s own recording studio.
A student works on a drawing. In addition to hand drawings, the films employed digital art, puppetry, stop motion animation, and more to tell their stories. Original music, sound effects, and voiceovers were produced in PNCA’s own recording studio.
A student creates a digital illustration. At the end of the forty-eight hours, the teams screened their work in a public film festival. The event provided “a wonderful way for students to see what they’re capable of creating,” says one of the organizers, Piper Haswell BFA’25.
A student creates a digital illustration. At the end of the forty-eight hours, the teams screened their work in a public film festival. The event provided “a wonderful way for students to see what they’re capable of creating,” says one of the organizers, Piper Haswell BFA’25.

“I see the students taking skills they learn in class and combining them in new ways to make their films”

—Faculty member Marilyn Zornado
The new domestic hot water mixing valve in Matthews Hall. As Grimm explains, these new systems improve the reliability and consistency of the hot water that flows into the faucets, ensuring that sinks and showers are not too hot and not too cold, but instead just right.
These are storyboards for Be Tender, one of the films made during the Animation Jam. It is a love story between a wizard and a bartender set in medieval times. The soundtrack? A medieval-style rendition of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”
These are storyboards for Be Tender, one of the films made during the Animation Jam. It is a love story between a wizard and a bartender set in medieval times. The soundtrack? A medieval-style rendition of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.”

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