History of KSMoCA

KSMoCA Documentary
by Sika Stanton and Nora Colie,
commissioned by KSMoCA in 2018

What if every public school had a museum?

In 2013, administrators at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School invited Portland State University Art Professors Harrell Fletcher and Lisa Jarrett to develop a long-term partnership with their students. Like many public elementary schools in Portland, the school did not have a dedicated art teacher. However, the school was able to provide a classroom workspace to artist partners and the opportunity to pilot a program that integrated art into the school.

That year, Harrell Fletcher and Lisa Jarrett founded the King School Museum of Contemporary Art at Dr. MLK Jr. School with a few simple questions. Every public school has a library. What if every public school had a museum? What if students were active collaborators in creating and running the museum?

KSMoCA’s first exhibition opened in 2014. The exhibition included dozens of photos from the international photo agency Magnum Photos. The exhibition, titled Postcards from America, was curated by Dr. MLK Jr. School students through an activity facilitated by photographer Alec Soth. Since then, KSMoCA has expanded to include annual rotating exhibitions, a permanent collection, a visiting artist lecture series, programs and activities, off-site exhibitions, and more.

Over the years, many artists, Dr. MLK Jr. School staff and students, and PSU students, volunteers and faculty have been involved in the project. To view a list of core contributors to KSMoCA, click here.