KSMoCA is a contemporary art museum inside a functioning public school

The Dr Martin Luther King Jr School Museum of Contemporary Art (KSMoCA), is a contemporary art museum and social practice art project inside and in partnership with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, a Pre K - 5th grade public school in NE Portland, OR. Founded in 2014 by Portland State University professors Lisa Jarrett and Harrell Fletcher, KSMoCA connects public school students with internationally renowned contemporary artists through collaborative workshops, exhibitions, artists lectures and site-specific commissions. Students learn through experience about museum practice and careers in the arts by participating as curators, preparators, artists, gallerists, writers, and docents.

KSMoCA reimagines the way museums, public schools, and universities can affect people, culture, and perspectives by creating radical intersections for sharing resources across organizations. Programs are developed collaboratively with the Dr MLK Jr School community, PSU students, and a team of supporting artists.

 

Lately at KSMoCA…

Wendy Ewald has been visiting KSMoCA this week to work on various projects with the school community. She did a lecture about her work for kids at @mlk_school_pdx attended an opening for her Chiapas prints and related student photography, talked with
Open call for Moe’s photography collection! Moe is a fifth-grade student who has worked with KSMoCA in a variety of roles—artist, curator, lecture MC, documentarian, spokesperson, etc. Moe is also very interested in photography. As a pro
Miranda July @mirandajuly visited KSMoCA and participated in the PSU Art and Social Practice MFA Program’s @psuartandsocialpractice Conversation Series talking about her early career in Portland and answering questions from appreciative MFA stu
As part of the KSMoCA one on one mentoring program Mase made a robot!
KPTV’s Chandler Watkins covered last night’s opening @littmanandwhite If you didn’t get the chance to join us, check it out. Thank you, Chandler! Link in bio. @mlk_school_pdx @psuartandsocialpractice @psu_artanddesign
Incredible opening this evening @littmanandwhite at PSU. We couldn’t be more proud of Rose and Prof Kiara Hill, who co-curated this exhibit from our permanent collection. Rose’s whole family came out to support and the whole @psuartandsoc
We are excited for tomorrow’s in-person KSMoCA opening at PSU’s @littmanandwhite gallery. Come by and say hello! You might get to meet Rose, you’ll definitely meet Dr. Kiara Hill. *Welcome to My Happy Place* an exhibition curated b
Installing Welcome To My Happy Place, an exhibition about KSMoCA at PSU’s @littmanandwhite curated by Dr Kiara Hill @k3tellem and Rose a 5th Grader at @mlk_school_pdx supported by Littman and White’s Gallery director @safiyah.maurice
The entryway to @mlk_school_pdx and KSMoCA with selections from the in progress timeline of the school’s history designed by @kimberlysutherland as a KSMoCA project. Dr MLK Jr School was the first public school in the country to change its name
Scenes from Wendy Ewald’s @wendytewald recent trip to visit KSMoCA. Wendy will be working with the @mlk_school_pdx community and students from @psuartandsocialpractice on multiple projects over the school year.
Present Days, an exhibition of work created as part of KSMoCA was curated and installed at the Portland Building in the Installation Space by @lillyannepham and @cereza699 MFA students in the @psuartandsocialpractice program with support by @raisin_c
Big gratitude to Brennan, Susan, Shani, and Caroline from @thebigyard for visiting today and helping Moe curate work to include in their upcoming fundraiser, Big Yard Studio. This Friday. Check out @thebigyard for tickets and info. Moe’s work w
We are just starting the third and final day of @psuartandsocialpractice Assembly at KSMoCA. Join us online or in person. This is a photo of KSMoCA publications at the @mlk_school_pdx library and available for purchase online. Publications present wo

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Upcoming Events

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Upcoming Events 〰️

Events
Artist Talk with Adriene Cruz, KSMoCA’s Fall 2024 artist in residence
Dec 5
Artist Talk with Adriene Cruz, KSMoCA’s Fall 2024 artist in residence
Exhibition Opening — Feeling Quilts: Shapes, Color, Pattern, Texture: Adriene Cruz with Ms. Maalea'a First Grade Class
Dec 5
Exhibition Opening — Feeling Quilts: Shapes, Color, Pattern, Texture: Adriene Cruz with Ms. Maalea'a First Grade Class

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About KSMoCA

Founded in the 2014-2015 academic year, the Dr Martin Luther King Jr School Museum of Contemporary Art (KSMoCA) is an artist-run project in the form of a museum. We work in partnership with Dr. MLK Jr. public elementary school and world-renowned contemporary artists to stage exhibitions, projects, and programs. For more info see…