Peacock Weekend: Homecoming Grows into a Celebration for All of PCA&D
Thursday, October 29th, 2026
Wherever your work has taken you, it started here.
On Nov. 6–7, PCA&D invites alumni back to the studios for Peacock Weekend, a two-day celebration that grows the College’s annual homecoming into a gathering for the entire PCA&D community. Alumni will return alongside current students, their families, faculty, and friends of the College for a weekend of making, sharing, and reconnecting.
Everything alumni value about homecoming is still here. The Alumni Homecoming Reception remains the heart of Saturday’s schedule, and the weekend is built around bringing together the people who shaped PCA&D and the people shaping it now.
Why Peacock Weekend?
The peacock is PCA&D’s own mark, and it belongs to everyone who has been part of the College: every program, every class year, and every generation of artists and designers.
Naming the weekend after it shows that this is a celebration for all of PCA&D. It also gives the weekend a name that can grow, year after year, into a signature annual tradition.
Celebrating Common Thread
Peacock Weekend opens with a look at what PCA&D alumni are making now.
Common Thread, the PCA&D Alumni Exhibition, is on view in the CORE and Hayden Galleries through Sunday, Nov. 8. The juried exhibition brings together work from graduates across class years and disciplines, offering a snapshot of the many creative paths that begin at PCA&D and the ways those paths continue to shape alumni work. Featured pieces include Distelfink by Hailey Bortz ’23, Uncapped by Kyle Newkirk ’15, and Red Mesquite by Kennedy Toomey ’22.
On Friday, Nov. 6, from 6–8 p.m., a First Friday reception invites alumni, students, families, and the wider Lancaster community to see the exhibition together and celebrate the artists. We’ll also host a panel discussion with some of the artists featured in Common Thread from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Back in the Studio
Earlier in the day on Friday, Nov. 6, alumni can step back into the classroom for visits and critiques. It’s a direct look at what’s happening in today’s studios and a chance to share the perspective that comes with life after graduation.
For current students, it’s an opportunity to meet the alumni who came before them and see firsthand where a PCA&D education can lead.
A Weekend for the Whole PCA&D Community
Saturday, Nov. 7, is for making and gathering.
From 12–3 p.m., a BYO-Art Project and Community Artmaking event invites everyone to create together. It’s open to all ages and experience levels, so current students are encouraged to bring parents, siblings, and friends along.
The day builds to the Alumni Homecoming Reception from 4:30–6:30 p.m., the signature event of the weekend and a time for alumni to reconnect with classmates and the faculty who shaped their work. The evening continues off campus with a post-reception social at The Midnight Oil Community Cafe from 7–11 p.m.
PCA&D is a place where people are known by name, and that doesn’t end at graduation. Come for one event or stay for the whole weekend. However long it’s been, there’s a place for you here.
Peacock Weekend Schedule at a Glance
Friday, Nov. 6
- Afternoon: Classroom visits & critiques
- 6–8 p.m.: First Friday Reception for Common Thread, the PCA&D Alumni Exhibition, in PCA&D’s CORE & Hayden Galleries (on view through Sunday, Nov. 8). Panel discussion with alumni artists 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7
- 12–3 p.m.: BYO-Art Project and Community Artmaking in the CoLab, open to all ages
- 4:30–6:30 p.m.: Alumni Homecoming Reception
- 7–11 p.m.: Post-reception social at The Midnight Oil Community Cafe