“Going far off from where you started in encouraged.”

Our new viewbook is out, attached below, made with our friends McFadden & Thorpe with a tie in to our new, original #oxbowjourney films made by Bay Area filmmaker Whitney Legge, @whitneylegge.

The Oxbow semester is an exploration of artistic inquiry combined with innovative academics. The experiential semester provides students a unique opportunity to take a semester away while also completing high school on time in preparation for college and a rewarding life. Through a wide range of projects and activities, Oxbow students learn that knowing how to learn is as important as what one learns, like Portia and Ethan, featured in #oxbowjourney on our IGTV channel and our YouTube channel.

Students leave Oxbow transformed. We support them in their journey towards gaining skills in independent living, taking ownership over their own learning, and developing meaningful relationships that last a lifetime.

Please find photographs from our Fall 2021 (OS45) Final Show below. The full Final Project gallery can be found here.

All images courtesy Whitney Legge © The Oxbow School, 2022

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Not too long after students left mid-semester during the Spring of 2020, two Oxbow faculty members co-authored an article entitled, “Reflections on Distance Learning and Quarantine in Spring 2020: The Oxbow School’s Pandemic Story”. The article was published in this month’s edition of Art Education, the official journal of the National Art Education Association. A copy of the story can be found here. Teaching remotely brought new awareness to the importance of an arts education, especially during a time when the creative process was a much needed outlet for young people forced into quarantine for an unknown period of time. Not surprisingly, the Oxbow faculty and students rose to the occasion to produce meaningful work as featured in Art Education.

We are truly grateful for the generous support of our many donors from across the globe and the significant impact their contributions make on the lives of Oxbow students. Our commitment to creating opportunities for all students to create, grow, and thrive would not be possible without them.

See full FY2021 Annual Report HERE

The Oxbow School is now accepting registrations for Sundays in the Studios, a limited series of Spring on-campus workshops!

This is an exciting opportunity for Bay Area residents to have access to our well-equipped studios overlooking the Napa river. For those interested in receiving individualized art instruction, technique workshops will be led by experienced arts educator and working artist, Annie Duncan. Participating artists will have the chance to work alongside like-minded peers while working uninterrupted in a scenic location in downtown Napa. For safety reasons, space is limited. Course descriptions are listed below. Register early to reserve your spot!

• Textile Design: March 28th, April 4th, April 11th
• Relief Printing: April 18th, April 25th, May 2nd

Cost: $250 per person/per Sunday, sign up for as many as you'd like! Membership includes technique workshops and access to the Oxbow studios from 11:00am - 6:00pm. Art supplies will be made available, but artists will be responsible for providing their own meals.
(100% net proceeds from this initiative will go to the Oxbow School Scholarship Fund)

Ages: 14+ (Oxbow Semester and Summer alumni & families are welcome to join us!)

Time: 11:00am - 6pm each Sunday

Skill level: All levels welcome!

Space limitation: 5 artists per session

COVID-19 info: All state guidelines apply during the pandemic. Studio doors will remain open for ample air circulation. Artists must wear masks on campus, abide by a 6-foot distancing policy, and sign a liability waiver upon arriving to Oxbow's campus.

REGISTER NOW BY EMAILING ADMISSIONS@OXBOWSCHOOL.ORG

After we receive your email, we will follow up with further information. Please be sure to mention the date(s) you are interested in attending!

Dear Oxbow community members,

We are very excited to welcome our next student community onto our campus in the spring! The Oxbow community has always been marked by resilience, and we look forward to responsibly reopening with you and your children and our team during this pandemic.

As we continue to monitor the conditions of COVID-19 in our community and across the country, please keep in mind that our reopening plan may shift accordingly, especially as we get closer to reopening for in-person instruction for our spring 2021 semester cohort. The health and safety of our students and staff continue to be our utmost priority and at the forefront for establishing thorough safety precautions that will enable all of us to have a successful semester. Despite these efforts to implement strict protocols to keep us healthy, please be aware that the virus could still make its way onto our campus. To prevent this from happening, we must have support from all community members prior to arrival and throughout the semester. There are obvious risks associated with running a school during a pandemic. It is important that all staff and parents work together as a team to ensure the safety of the entire Oxbow community, as well as the local Napa community. While The Oxbow School is in very close proximity to state of the art hospitals and medical services, it is our goal to maintain a “prevention mindset” so that local members of the community can still easily access much-needed medical attention if necessary. We appreciate your support and look forward to partnering with you during these unprecedented times!

Warm regards,

Jennifer Jordan

Head of School

As a community of artists, The Oxbow School stands in support of black communities across the country. The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Sandra Bland, Tyisha Miller, Nina Pop, and Ahmaud Arbery are tragic victims of white supremacy and brutality and their deaths and those that precede them serve as an urgent call to action for organizations like ours.

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In an effort to continue the work of improving The Oxbow School and honoring the social justice movements we believe so strongly in we are sharing resources here for our community.

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Projects showing OS42's creativity, grace and grit have been compiled into the Quaranzine magazine by Oxbow's Dean of The Arts, Chris Thorson. Please enjoy this magazine with student works that include selections from OS42's distance learning art projects, materials lists, and "Who are you?" projects.

Quaranzine V.1 Quaranzine V.2

Dear Friends and Visitors of The Oxbow School,

The health and safety of the community is our utmost priority. Due to the spread of COVID-19, The Oxbow School has suspended on-campus programming and transitioned to distance learning until it is safe to travel. We believe suspending on-campus programming is the best way to protect the welfare of our Oxbow community and neighbors in Napa as we are committed to help “flatten the curve”—that is, to contribute to the national effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 to ensure broad access to healthcare for our most at-risk populations.

We appreciate your cooperation and understanding. We are committed to doing our best to navigate this new reality with everyone. The Oxbow faculty are working diligently to create and implement a dynamic and meaningful experience for our current students. Check out our Instagram for lively updates and stay at home art projects and recommendations.

While we are all living in uncertain times, we encourage you to take this time to embrace the present moment by fostering virtual relationships with your loved ones for support, compassion, and connectedness.

For prospective students and families, please know that your interest in The Oxbow School is important to us. We take tremendous pride in being the preeminent thought leader in arts education for young people. We look forward to welcoming you to campus once we reopen.

Unfortunately Oxbow has had to postpone many of our annual fundraising events which directly support student scholarships. Please considering "joining us" for the Oxbow Anti Event to benefit student scholarships and support the arts!

Warm regards,

Jennifer Jordan

Head of School