Crystal Allen graduated from San Francisco State University with a BA in Sculpture and a dual emphasis in Robotics in 2010. She followed that up with a 3 month bike tour, 3 months backpacking in Mexico and continued her education in electronics and engineering at Makani Power|Airborne Wind Energy. She recently returned from a 6 month sailing voyage and is living in Oakland working with artists and gardeners. She aspires to build a creative space to undertake new artistic experiments.
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
The Oxbow School has both a local and national reputation for excellence. Oxbow produces great artists. In its studio, these emerging artists have a community of creative peers who respect one another and foster an expectation to produce thoughtful, sophisticated work.
— Paul Coffey, Vice Provost and Dean of Community Engagement, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
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
A School Like No Other