Leaving Walden, field journal in hand

OS29 has recently completed the Connections unit, and their intensive work with Walden. A key component of that course is the field journal--a notebook that students are encouraged to strap to their bodies and carry with them at all times. (Journaling is also a major part of the art curriculum here, but we'll talk about that another time.)  Field journals are used for taking notes in class, but also capture much of the thinking that happens outside the classroom. The pages are filled with mind-maps, lists, personal reflections, pre-writing of analytical essays, research notes, experiment data, and of course the requisite doodles. In short, they are full of life. At the close of Connections, we had the opportunity to peek in--here's a colorful smattering of what we found. (Top to bottom, from the field journals of: Annalise, Isabel G., Kenzie, Annie, Katie, Annie)

Place : Finding Moments

Installation detail, artwork by Elsa

In the Place unit, students in the Sculpture studio experimented with making site-specific installation artwork. They began by working locally around the Oxbow campus, altering small, easily-overlooked spaces, then broadened their scope by exploring downtown Napa.

Found/made moment by Maddie B.

Students were instructed to take slow walks around town and observe their surroundings with fresh eyes. By looking carefully and shifting perspective, they found and created moments of art in public places.

Found/made moment by Ser

Throughout the project, students tested materials, locations, and documentation techniques in order to grasp the depth of what place-based work can be about, and discovered that with deliberate looking, art is everywhere.

Found/made moment by Izzy A.

Observation : Interdisciplinary Naturalists

Piper's sketchbook

The first course of the Oxbow semester is team-taught across disciplines. Each section works with a pair of teachers--one art faculty and one humanities faculty--in a course designed to explore the overarching theme of Observation. Sculpture and History are paired, New Media and English are a team, and Painting and Science combine forces. What follows is a selection of sketchbook pages from the Painting + Environmental Science course, in which students took on the role of campus naturalists and carefully observed hidden spots in the Oxbow gardens. Using Thoreau's essay Autumnal Tints for inspiration, they recorded, sketched, dissected, and questioned their surroundings. 

Lucie's journal

Isabel's journal

Darien's journal

          

Nigel's sketchbook

First Impressions

It's hard to believe that OS29 has only been here for a little over two weeks; already we're seeing great things from them. In the art studios, they've been busy working on the Observation and Place projects, and in Connections they are deep into their exploration of Walden. Across the board, their work has been colorful, diverse, and full of life. They are poets and storytellers, and show a lot of care towards one another and the Oxbow community as a whole. Outside of the classroom, they are rambunctious and playful; on the weekends, scooters, skateboards, and bikes litter the breezeway.

Yesterday, during an excursion outdoors for Connections class, one student stated, "I make art because I have things to say." An observer could conclude that this statement holds true for all of OS29. This is a class with a strong voice (yes, it gets a little loud sometimes...) and a lot of heart; as the semester moves on, we aim to help each student project their voice and share their passion. So, OS29: as you head into your third Oxbow week, we leave you with a thought from Kahlil Gibran: "Work is love made visible."