Poster with artwork by Rose. Poster design by Rodeo Studio at Portland State University
Making Room: Mr. Xavier Pierce with His First Grade Class
June 5 – November 20, 2025
Mr. Xavier Pierce was KSMoCA’s Spring 2025 artist-in-residence. Mr. Pierce is a Portland-based artist who grew up just a few blocks from Dr. MLK Jr. School, where he teaches first grade.
He thinks of art as a response to the world around us and as a tool for making change and learning. Inspired by his lived experiences, he explores memory, emotion, and the act of being present. Through his teaching, he encourages students to reflect on their decision-making through curiosity, play, and experimentation.
During his residency, Mr. Pierce led conceptual painting workshops that invited students to learn and explore color, emotion, and identity. Students mixed their own paint colors, naming them based on their feelings, dreams, and interests. In small groups, students painted their colors on shared canvases designed to resemble rooms. During a follow up workshop, Mr. Pierce and students discussed and drew their strengths, favorite people, places, and things. With guidance from KSMoCA mentors from Portland State University, they added these subjects to their “rooms” using paint sticks, creating collaborative works exploring themes of identity, safety, and belonging.
Mr. Pierce describes his residency experience as a creative renewal, sparked by working alongside his students and the KSMoCA community. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies and a master’s in Education, both from Portland State University.
Xavier Pierce, Spring 2025 KSMoCA Visiting Artist
Workshops with Xavier Pierce
As part of her residency, Cruz collaborated with Ms. Maalaea’s first-grade class on a series of “feelings quilts”. This allowed students the opportunity to connect themes of color, emotions, shapes, and feelings. During the first workshop, Cruz led students through the process of creating bold, colorful compositions on foam core boards using shapes and patterns made of different fabrics. In the second workshop, students finished their “quilts” with reflective and decorative adornments similar to Cruz’s pieces. Arranged side by side, the finished panels form a quilt that visually conveys a spectrum of feelings and emotions using decorative, vibrant abstract designs.
Artist Talk with Xavier Pierce and Exhibition Opening
Over 50 students from different grades gathered in the school library for Cruz’s artist talk. She answered many questions from the audience, such as where did you make art when you were a kid and who did your hair? Every attendee received a copy of a small magazine about Cruz that was created by Portland State University students. After the talk, Cruz and students in Ms. Maalaea’s class gave visitors tours of the exhibit. Families, classmates, school staff, and members of the public were all invited to attend and celebrate.
Installation documentation
