KSMOCA-King School Museum of Contemporary Art

KSMOCA-King School Museum of Contemporary Art KSMoCA is a contemporary art museum within the walls of a King K-8 public school in NE Portland, OR. Each rotating exhibition is presented for two months.

KSMoCA is a contemporary art museum within the walls of a functioning K-8 public school in NE Portland, OR. Created as a collaborative project by faculty and students of Portland State University’s College of the Arts, and developed with help from community members and local organizations, the project creates an unusual pairing between early education and internationally renowned artists and their

work. Students at the school learn through experience about museum practice and careers as they are facilitated through the roles of curators, installers, publicists, copywriters, registrars and docents. KSMoCA re-imagines the way museums, public schools, and universities shape people, culture, and perspectives by cultivating a space for art to educate within and beyond the classroom. The public is welcome to experience the museum by appointment and during selected open hours.

One of the many other amazing things that makes KSMoCA possible are the many undergraduates that have taken (and retaken...
06/04/2026

One of the many other amazing things that makes KSMoCA possible are the many undergraduates that have taken (and retaken, and retaken, and retaken…) our 428 Art with Kids class at Portland State University.

For the past Spring term, our Mentors have built and continued beautiful relationships with their mentees. Together they made stories, learned how to crochet, made paper frogs, played basketball, created sculptures out of paper, produced music, made slime, and so many other wonderful moments.

These are the same students that collaborate together to make our zines for our artist talks and openings, as well as the graaaaand set up/break down of the chairs!

We had an incredible term with these students and congratulate those that will graduate this Spring!❤️

Come and join us for DeepTime Collective’s artist talk and opening exhibition next week on Thursday, June 4 (10AM) at Dr...
05/29/2026

Come and join us for DeepTime Collective’s artist talk and opening exhibition next week on Thursday, June 4 (10AM) at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr School Museum of Contemporary Art.

DeepTime Collective is a collaboration between artists Amanda Leigh Evans and Tia Kramer. For the past spring, we’ve been exploring how we understand time and how our own perceptions of time influence how we relate to the communities and environments that surround us.

During their residency, the collective facilitated workshops with third grade students to explore both familiar and alternative ways of timekeeping through illustrations of abstract forms to visualize the shapes of time. Those drawings were then translated into movements for performances with the students. The exercises led by Amanda and Tia aimed to get students thinking about how communities measure time and how we feel it in our physical bodies, from seconds to hours, days and years (and so on!).

Located in the gym, this event is open to the public. Please stop by the main office beforehand to sign-in and receive a visitors badge. We hope to see you there!

05/27/2026

Join us this week for the Little Shorts x Little Shorts film festival, featuring twenty 25-sec short films created by King students in collaboration with LAIKA animators and PSU college students! There will also be a special screening of the short film Counter of Sheep, by multi-disciplinary artist Spencer Garland of Brenda Arts, in collaboration with students in the Black Imagination Group at King School. Little Shorts x Little Shorts will take place next Friday, May 29th, from 9 am-10 am in the library. Open to all!

Join us next week for the Little Shorts x Little Shorts film festival, featuring twenty 25-sec short films created by Ki...
05/24/2026

Join us next week for the Little Shorts x Little Shorts film festival, featuring twenty 25-sec short films created by King students in collaboration with LAIKA animators and PSU college students. There will also be a special screening of the short film Counter of Sheep, by multi-disciplinary artist Spencer Garland of Brenda Arts, in collaboration with students in the Black Imagination Group at King School. Little Shorts x Little Shorts will take place next Friday, May 29th, from 9 am-10 am in the library. Open to all!

Some pictures from our most recent workshop with Amanda and Tia out in the sun ❤️🕰️🌞
05/24/2026

Some pictures from our most recent workshop with Amanda and Tia out in the sun ❤️🕰️🌞

KSMoCA produces publications in collaboration with PSU’s Art+Social Practice Program. All of the MFA students conduct in...
05/15/2026

KSMoCA produces publications in collaboration with PSU’s Art+Social Practice Program. All of the MFA students conduct interviews related to their research each academic term during the 3 years of the program, which are then posted as part of the Social Forms of Art (SOFA) Journal. The graduating students compile them together as part of this book series.

The PSU Art+Social Practice Program’s 2026 graduates had their opening yesterday evening at the JSMA on campus. We encourage you to visit, experience their work, and browse their SOFA conversations alongside their own self-published work.

Our interns Matisse and Kelsey are working to update our KSMoCA timeline, which is a part of our permanent collection. H...
05/15/2026

Our interns Matisse and Kelsey are working to update our KSMoCA timeline, which is a part of our permanent collection. Here, they are unboxing stacks of student photos from 2000. Recognize anyone?

How does time feel if you were…an ant? a 100-year old tree? a mountain? a river, a cloud or a bird? What about as an ice...
04/23/2026

How does time feel if you were…

an ant? a 100-year old tree? a mountain? a river, a cloud or a bird? What about as an ice cube melting? When you’re waiting in line? When you’re running? How does time feel for our parents? Someone who is reaaaaaaaally old, like 100 years old?!

These are some important questions we’re asking at our workshops. And no, clocks are not allowed if you’re wondering.

Workshops with Deep Time Collective are now in session! More photos to come as we continue our investigation with time…
04/23/2026

Workshops with Deep Time Collective are now in session! More photos to come as we continue our investigation with time…

Art with Kids: Museum in a Public School is an open major course provided by Portland State University that allows for u...
04/17/2026

Art with Kids: Museum in a Public School is an open major course provided by Portland State University that allows for undergraduate students to learn and experience an art + social practice project in motion.

Part of this course entails mentoring and working with students onsite at Dr. MLK Elementary School in NE Portland, where collaborations happen weekly for an hour.

We are already so thrilled to see what’s been happening so far: making origami frogs, producing music, and making slime based on supply accessibility (How would an artist make slime without an activator?). Lots more to come!

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4906 NE 6th Avenue
Portland, OR
97211

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