Our mission is to provide pathways for educational and employment opportunities in an open and welcoming environment that fosters creativity and individual empowerment. 

Pierce Center for Arts & Technology seeks to transform lives. We start by providing visual arts programs for high school youth and postsecondary career training for local workers.

But we don’t stop there.

We believe that skills alone are not enough to change lives, so we hire expert staff who are convinced that every single person has something positive to contribute to the community and give them the time and space to develop authentic relationships with each student.

We build those relationships in a world‐class facility filled with all of the equipment and materials our students need to master the fields they are studying. Then we surround them with art, plants, natural light, and beauty. Why? We believe that environment shapes behavior, so we create an incredible environment to nurture the incredible people who walk through our doors. 

Afterschool visual arts classes for high school students

Pierce Center for Arts & Technology partners with public high schools in Pierce County to provide afterschool visual arts programs to local students at our facility in Parkland. We employ professional artists who are actively making the art that they teach and equip them with an industry‐standard arts studio, where they pass their knowledge and enthusiasm to a new generation of makers. We believe that the arts are a tool of engagement that benefits every young person, so we provide our afterschool visual arts program at no cost to the student.

Demand‐driven career training for local workers

Pierce Center for Arts & Technology focuses on providing a second chance to our community’s unemployed, underemployed, and transitioning workers. We offer career training only for occupations that have strong demand in the local market and that allow workers to achieve financial self‐sufficiency by providing a living wage upon entry and a clear pathway for career advancement. We understand that many types of circumstances may pose barriers to success, so we facilitate wraparound support services for our students with local community partners and deliver all career training at no cost to the student, including tuition and supplies. 

Pierce Center for Arts & Technology is a locally owned nonprofit organization that is led by community leaders from the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Its organizational framework is built on the Manchester Bidwell Education Model, conceived by Manchester Bidwell Corporation founder and MacArthur “Genius” Award winner Bill Strickland. This demonstrated model has been used effectively for nearly 50 years to address low educational achievement among youth and high unemployment rates among adults in communities across the United States.

Pierce Center for Arts & Technology joins an expanding network of local centers that adapt this proven model to meet the needs of their local communities. The network currently includes eight Centers for Arts & Technology that collectively impact the lives of over 3,600 individuals annually. 

Pierce Center for Arts & Technology will open its doors at 208 Garfield Street in Parkland. We are excited for the opportunity to interact with multiple Pierce County communities that currently lack resources, including South Tacoma, Lakewood, Parkland, and additional communities in unincorporated Pierce County. Too many residents of these communities experience high rates of poverty, above average unemployment, and low levels of educational attainment. Our location in Parkland is accessible by both public transit and major roads, allowing residents of these underserved communities to have access to exceptional education and career training.