Projects
Black Arts PDX: Extended Documentary Trailer
Black Arts PDX explores the history of the Black visual arts community located in the historic Albina neighborhood of NE Portland, OR. Directed by Kiara Hill, PhD. Edited by Angelica Santos Perez and Kara Moritz.
Art for the People | Legacies: Stories of Black History in the 413
Produced by New England Public Media, Art for the People documents the work of Common Wealth Murals and the AfriCOBRA Archival Project to preserve the work and legacy of renowned Springfield artist and muralist Nelson Stevens. Featuring commentary by Dr. Kiara Hill. Directed by Evan Goodchild.
curatorial
Black Arts PDX: Exhibition, November 20, 2025-November 26, 2026
Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
Black Arts PDX is a display of ephemera and an extended documentary trailer that foregrounds the history of the Black visual arts community in Northeast Portland. Curated by Dr. Kiara Hill, this rotating installation sheds light on the practices of key figures who were instrumental in shaping the perception of Black arts and culture in Portland. Whether utilitarian or decorative, these materials highlight ways Black artists sought to beautify the city and utilize their technical skills to address the needs of Black people. Image courtesy of the Portland Art Museum.
Nelson Stevens: Color Rapping, March 4, 2023- September 3, 2023
D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, MA
Spanning more than 50 years of the artist’s career, Color Rapping explores the political, cultural, and socioeconomic messages in Stevens’s art and style of painting, alongside his groundbreaking public art project that resulted in the creation of over 30 murals throughout Springfield, MA. Curatorial and Interpretive Advisor: Dr. Kiara Hill. Image courtesy of the D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts.
Press:
Nelson Stevens turned Springfield’s Black neighborhoods into living art galleries; a new show takes us back in time
https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/03/nelson-stevens-turned-springfields-black-neighborhoods-into-living-art-galleries-a-new-show-takes-us-back-in-time.html
Art Exhibit Curated by Afro Am Studies Alumna Kiara Hill Celebrates the Late Nelson Stevens
https://www.umass.edu/humanities-arts/news/kiara-hill-nelson-stevens
5 Takes on African Art / 42 Flags by Fred Wilson, September 2017-April 2018
University Museum of Contemporary Art (UMCA), Amherst, MA
This exhibition is divided into five sections — or “5 Takes” — by the five curators, each highlighting a different aspect of Charles Derby’s collection. Encircling 5 Takes are Fred Wilson’s Flags of Africa, paintings which the artist stripped of color, thereby questioning how flags work, what they signify, and to what extent they represent the people, history, and geography of a land that was delineated by a colonial master. Curators: Yingxi Lucy Gong; Kiara Hill; Imo Imeh; Vick Quezada; and Elizabeth Upenieks. Image courtesy of the UMCA.
Welcome to My Happy Place, Feb 1st 2023-March 17th 2023
Littman + White Gallery at Portland State University, Portland, OR
Welcome to My Happy Place is an exhibition curated by Rose, a fifth grader at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, and Dr. Kiara “Kiki” Hill, a professor in the School of Art + Design at PSU, that invites viewers to experience the magic that is the Dr Martin Luther King Jr School Museum of Contemporary Art (KSMoCA).
Press:
Art museum unveils new exhibit curated by 5th grader and PSU professor
https://www.kptv.com/2023/02/10/art-museum-unveils-new-exhibit-curated-by-5th-grader-psu-professor/
5th grader teams up with PSU prof to show us her ‘Happy Place’ in new exhibit
https://insideportlandstate.pdx.edu/2023/02/24/ksmoca-exhibit/
archival
Black Arts PDX: Oral History Database
Black Arts PDX: Oral History Database consists of oral history interviews with twelve Black artists and cultural workers who played a central role in shaping the political and cultural landscape of Portland, Oregon. This project stems from a collaboration between Dr. Hill and longtime Portland residents, Ms. Liz Fouther-Branch and Mr. Bobby Fouther of Cultural Bearers Archive, Inc.
The AfriCOBRA Archival Project (TAAP)
The AfriCOBRA Archival Project is an archival initiative dedicated to the preservation of materials related to the artistic and activist endeavors of AfriCOBRA members: weaver, fabric and multimedia artist Napoleon Jones-Henderson (1943-2025) and painter and muralist, Nelson Stevens (1938 - 2022). Dr. Kiara Hill is also the Principal Archivist for the Napoleon Jones-Henderson Archive. Image courtesy of Evan Goodchild.
publications
Making Room: Mr. Xavier Pierce with His First Grade Class, June 5 – November 20, 2025
Catalogue Essay by Dr. Kiara Hill
Title: The Art of Making Room: What We Can Learn About Community From Artist/Educator Xavier Pierce and His First-Grade Class
Publisher: King School Museum of Contemporary Art (KSMoCA)
Arvie Smith: Crossing Clear Creek, Feb. 8- Mar. 22, 2025
Catalogue Essay by Dr. Kiara Hill
Title: Bare Witness
Publisher: Monique Meloche Gallery
There's Still Magic in Dreams: Richard J. Brown with Ms. Maalaea’s First Grade Class January 18, 2024 - March 7, 2024
Catalogue Essay by Dr. Kiara Hill
Title: Dream Maker: The Art and Activism of Richard J. Brown
Publisher: King School Museum of Contemporary Art (KSMoCA)
But, why are you here? June 2023
Artists: Intisar Abioto, Julian V.L. Gaines, Lisa Jarrett, Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe, and Samantha Wall
Catalogue Essay by Dr. Kiara Hill
Title: But, Why Are You Here: Black Artists and the Politics of Space in Portland, Oregon
Publisher: Russo Lee Gallery
current/ongoing projects
Black Arts PDX: Feature Length Documentary Film (Summer 2026)
Black Arts PDX explores the history of the Black visual arts community located in the historic Albina neighborhood of NE Portland, OR. Directed by Kiara Hill, PhD. Edited by Angelica Santos Perez and Kara Moritz.
Founder/ Director of Sankofa@KSMoCA Community Lecture Series
Inspired by the Akan term Sankofa, which means “go back and get it,” Sankofa at KSMoCA is a community-centered lecture series that introduces students at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School to various careers in the arts and to BIPOC arts professionals living and working in Portland, Oregon.
Art for the People | Legacies: Stories of Black History in the 413
Produced by New England Public Media, Art for the People documents the work of Common Wealth Murals and the AfriCOBRA Archival Project to preserve the work and legacy of renowned Springfield artist and muralist Nelson Stevens. Featuring commentary by Dr. Kiara Hill. Directed by Evan Goodchild.
** The AfriCOBRA Archival Project is still in progress. More documentation forthcoming.