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Inside Oxbow

Goodbye, OS38!

05/19/18

All too soon, the end of another semester is here. OS38 has been packed up and shipped out, but their energy still clings as so many groups do. There's a palpable sense of campus settling down and recuperating for a short break (full of work to do!) before Summer camp moves in and makes it their own. We congratulate OS38 on a very successful semester full of personal, artistic, and academic growth. As a group, they surmounted challenges and emerged joyously - evidenced by their humor, supportive group dynamic, and the flood of tears over the last few days. We'll really miss these guys. OS38 - you are welcome back to the riverbank any time. Welcome to the alumni family!!

In closing, we're going to leave you with some words by Ligaia M, about her end of semester experience:

This past week marked the end of final project work time. The studios where reduced to chaos; and I, like many others, worked every moment I could, scrambling to finish on time. I was in the printmaking studio, an intense experience in many ways. I have learned a lot in a short amount of time. I have never done printmaking before, so choosing the medium for my final project ended up being both rewarding and incredibly difficult. I am happy with how much I accomplished and learned about the medium, but it was quite taxing to learn and apply techniques simultaneously. Although it was painful at times, both emotionally and physically, there is nothing like seeing one’s final prints finished on the wall. However, I may never recover from the thumb callus that has developed from pushing tacks into the wall to secure my pieces. I can still feel it as I type this.

Packing up my workspace was a bittersweet experience. There was underlying a sense of finality in it. Signing my prints, wrapping my plates and reject pieces. Truly, it is the beginning of the end. Not in a morbid way, mind you, but it feels as if everything is slowly coming to a close. I know that I will not encounter a printmaking studio like this in a long time. I couldn't help but think of that as I was cleaning up. For someone like me, who does not often think in the long term, working in a studio like this again seems like an eternity away. Time has gone by much too fast.

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Oxbow School is one of the preeminent choices for creative high school students interested in the arts. Their project-based, integrated approach to learning mirrors the approach of many top art schools. At California College of the Arts, we are thrilled to see applicants who have attended Oxbow because we know they are well prepared for the rigors of college level work. I wish there had been an Oxbow School when I was a high school student!

— Stephen Beal, President, California College of the Arts

It's been a whirlwind week, but also a time when I sang the praises of Oxbow to my colleagues. I've been thinking much about how Oxbow is an exemplar of true education. That art centers the curriculum is hardly surprising, and for those of us who work within the traditional educational mold Oxbow offers a gold standard of focused project based learning. Beyond the school's approach to immersive experience are the intangibles which make Oxbow different. The sense of community and of working together, even as each student retained their strong individual presence is palpable. The feeling of warmth and trust between the adults and the nearly adults in the Oxbow community could be felt throughout the campus. The openness of the architecture and interconnectedness of the three studios in themselves speak of the Oxbow philosophy and identity. More than form follows function, the physical attributes of Oxbow have a distinct warmth and invite exploration.

I'm sure that the ongoing challenges of leading and reinventing your school might sometimes keep you from having the time to see Oxbow with the fresh eyes of a visitor, but your steady presence and vision are really visible in every detail. Thank you for inviting me to one of the most profound experiences in my career.

— Ken Rush, Visual Arts Department, Packer Collegiate Institute

Oxbow was, without a doubt, the best part of my high school experience. A year after leaving, and I still feel as though it were yesterday that I was sitting on the lawn, eating in the dining hall, and laughing with my friends in the studios.

— Julia Weir, Fall 2015

A School Like No Other

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