Thursday, May 30, 2013

Outtakes

When 44 students and 9 teachers live together in close proximity for four months, some funny things happen. We get to know each others' quirks, and we immediately notice when something changes--new shoes, new hairstyles, shifts in the social structure. And we begin to speak in a coded Ox-language. Morning announcements start to sound like this:

ST, caught lurking in the Breezeway on final cleaning day
"Snack Patrol. You know who you are. Stop slacking, the people want their Cheese-Its. New Dish Dawgs this week. Spread The Love--meet JP for lunch. Where are all the spoons? PFoy's art angels--turn in your journals. Mo's advisees--meet on the Pad after breakfast. Who's hoarding the Sculpture tape dispenser? And pleeeaaase make sure you've put your stuff on the server." 

We fall easily into routines, and certain roles are set early on: Piper always times the Minute of Silence, Jose and Alex are always late for breakfast, Grace always has candy if you need some, Raven will always hold the door open for Blair, and West A will always have the cleanest bathroom.

And then there are those wonderful moments when the Ox-bubble is burst--people who have been hiding in the shadows come out of their shells, roles are reversed, and some really hilarious stuff happens. What follows is a sort of photo essay of some of those moments. We'll call them the OS28 Semester Outtakes.

There was a Math Prom
These two students were caught selling unofficial Bottle Rock souvenirs
The Carrot Gods spoke
Izzy got...lost (not arrested)
OS28 went through an American Gothic period
This guy happened...
And on the very last day, THIS happened

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Goodbye, for now

Farewell, OS28. Congratulations on a spectacular Final Show, and on all the amazing things you accomplished at Oxbow. It might feel sad and scary right now, but you are off to do more amazing things, and trust us: you are READY! When your Oxbow ache gets bad, read some poetry with breakfast. Make some art. Keep a journal. Hug a chicken. And know that all Oxbow paths will ultimately cross again. 

Be well, stay in touch, and remember, lunch is at 12:00. Come back any time.

We'll miss you. 


Thursday, May 16, 2013

The Week Before

Sneak peek: artwork by Alex McD

It’s just a couple of days away from Final Show, and we here at Oxbow are about as busy as our new bees!  The week before final show, we as a community embark on our biggest collaboration of the semester: completely transforming all of the studios into gallery space. That includes sweeping the floors of any sawdust and copperplate shavings, pencil points and canvas trimmings, wiping down furniture before moving it all out of sight, spackling over memories of past installations, giving each wall a fresh coat of white paint, and, quite literally, clearing the cobwebs.

The journey from workspace to exhibition space is an exciting one. In many ways, it’s like any other move. During the month-long Final Project, the students really do move in to the studios, making it a second home. This means that in addition to all of the grunt work, The Week Before also includes returning clothes, coffee mugs, and iPods to their rightful owners, and, in the best cases, discovering items you thought were lost for good (like my phone charger!).

Last night, we officially finished installing all of the artwork. The tenor does shift here as the students turn over the space that has become so much theirs. As they walk around the studios looking at the work of their friends (some for the first time), it’s a lot like walking around the house you can’t come back to—at least not in the same way.

Sure, there are other things going on—like writing and revising artist statements, rehearsing presentations until the nerves subside, choosing the perfect outfit for the show, packing, a sense of triumph at having finished met with constant waves of nostalgia for the almost-over semester, and, of course, the bittersweet anticipation of the near goodbyes we have to face. But for right now, we are all proud, anxious for the big day, and really, really, tired. 

Hope to see you all at the show this weekend!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Sneak Peek

OS28 has a mere 4 days left to work on their Final Projects. Things are staring to heat up around here, and the Final Show is shaping up to be a really exciting one. Today we walked around the studios and asked students to describe their projects in just one or two sentences. Their responses confirmed what we already suspected...these are NOT your average teenagers! Here's what they had to say about their projects--note the depth and variety of the topics they are exploring. 



AUDREY:

"I am creating a series of paintings and drawings that push the boundaries of society's common gender definitions."

  















BLAIR:

"This is an attempt to make the struggles and joys of daily life tangible through a collection of drawings, text, and coffee spills."

GRACE:

"I started by researching conformity, and I'm trying to discover the role I play in conformity through my artwork. I am working in printmaking."















EVA:

"I am making a prototype for a nesting cube that holds all the necessary furnishings for a simplified, nomadic lifestyle."











CLAYTON:

"I am recreating an iconic photograph in sculpture."


















LAUREN:

"My project is about perception and how each person's reality is unique."






Thursday, May 2, 2013

WET PAINT

Three weeks into Final Project and the studios look...well, messy. Messy in a good way. Every surface is covered in evidence of artwork in progress. Here's what we found on one quick walk through the studios today: