We'll Be Here All Week

A day at Oxbow is a wild ride, and a whole week is a roller coaster. There's always so much activity all over campus, whether it's a late night in the studios, a school-wide gardening effort, a lively gallery opening, or frenzied last minute cleaning before Room Checks. This week, Kai has summarized OS31's typical experience for you so you can get a sneak peek into how madcap and exciting our lives are around here.

I believe I can say that for all of us, Oxbow has been an interesting experience so far. Unlike any other school I have attended, Oxbow provides a variety of activities  - whether curricular or just things I can do around campus in my free time (there’s always the chickens we can mess around with). Let’s recap this week: On Monday, we started our Focus classes which have been very thought provoking so far. For the first month, English, History, and Science were part of one co-taught class called "Connections," but now they're separated and we get to delve further into each subject. On Tuesday, we helped the gardeners distribute 20 cubic yards (about 10 tons!) of compost around campus. That same day, we had our first Visiting Artist Lecture with Anna von Mertens who is also in residence here until next Tuesday.  On Thursday, we started our new co-curriculars, and we have an Ice Cream Social on Friday that we are all looking forward to.   

Here's to many more great weeks for OS31!

photos by Abbey, Megan, and Mo.

 In the dark for a slideshow.

"Ox-Chix" is a weekly campus crew. Students switch off each week, collecting eggs and caring for the ladies. 

Science instructor Alex installed a slackline and it is now a favorite past time (as with most semesters).

SO MUCH COMPOST. Many thanks to the gardeners for all their hard work and even more thanks to the students who joined us just for this morning of smelly schlepping. 

Megan and Bella cleared out the last of the marigolds. Painting instructor Chris will lead a dyeing workshop this weekend using indigo and marigolds from the gardens. 

Art School P.E.

As OS31 reaches the end of their first co-curriculars, students already have lots to share with each other and you! This past month, our co-curriculars were full of surprises and each had a great send-off before our Early Break weekend! Hiking and Yoga explored a local regional park and reached an awesome creek, Quad Games ventured far afield to play some serious disc golf, Gardening found a praying mantis while harvesting potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers for the kitchen, Walkabout discovered the area surrounding the school on foot, and the Oxbikers powered up several mountains. How cool! Students will rotate through two other co-curriculars in the coming months. Who knows what's next!

The hiking Yogis. 

It's hit and miss with "Sports Game Face" at art school.

Another beautiful morning spent tending and harvesting….

…and making little friends.

Walkabout's reflective outings take them on some hidden gems of trails around town.

We're hoping no phones were broken during the taking of this photo.

The fittest of us all - Patrick's biking crew. 

This post brought to you by Micah and Niki. Photos by Niki, Logan, Jennifer, Megan, and Patrick.

studio time: Stretching Our Boundaries

Each day at Oxbow is a venture into the unknown. We are experimenting, stepping out of our comfort zones, and stretching ourselves in both creation and social interaction. As we enter the final week before Early Break, we've gotten into the rhythm of a typical Ox-Day and friendships are continuing to deepen. Each day after class, the studios remain open for several hours before dinner and it's then that we really have a chance to engage with each other as working artists. Enjoy these couple of shots from afternoon studio life, a time where assignments and personal work are started and finished, trashed, and reinvented. 

 (Kendall, Isabella, and Abbey)

During the Place project last week, Sculpture students created a series of temporary street art installations that interacted with specific areas of the town of Napa. Made of contact paper, the stickers were installed guerrilla style then removed after documentation…for the most part  - there are still a few "hanging out." 

(From top left: Clare M., Alex, Sam, Logan)

For the Place project in Painting, students work on a series inspired by a place of significance. To get the ideas flowing, they first complete the following assignment:

"Think about a place that is special to you. Tap into the memories, emotions, and associations this place embodies. Mix 25 colors that evoke how this place looks and feels. Do not be limited by local color alone. Use color to describe your feelings about this location in addition to its physical attributes. Name each color. In your journal, address how your perceptions and associations regarding color are tied to cultural context, personal experience, and memory."

In the New Media Place project, students dive into the possibilities of movie-making as a complex visual/aural medium. Responding to various "challenges" -- in writing, still photography, sound collection and video -- students build their skills of awareness and composition. Students are also exposed to readings and films designed to grow their understanding of how time, rhythm, association and editing are powerful tools to achieve a particular meaning, effect or outcome for the audience. 

Enjoy these videos from Maxine, Palmer, and Isabella:

This week's blog post brought to you with the assistance of Kevin

Fieldtrippin'

                                                                                                                                                           Today, we journeyed south to Paulson Bott Press and the Berkeley Art Museum. Starting at Paulson, students met Gallery Director Rhea Fontaine, printer and OS11 alumn Alexander "Z" Groshong, and intern Will as they poured over stacks of Gee's Bend quilt prints. Students learned about the tradition of fine art printing, Paulson Bott's model of 2-week artist residencies, and the many techniques its printers must master and sometimes invent. This place is stuffed to the brim with unbelievable prints, ink, sketches, and various ephemera from past projects. The genuine enthusiasm for printmaking was infectious; we were thrilled to get a sneak peek into such an intense process and spend some time in their beautiful studio and gallery.

OS11 alumn Z Groshong shows OS31 a copperplate and explains the printing process.

***

Afterward, we headed across town to the Berkeley Art Museum to admire the incredible building and enjoy a handful of fantastic shows including a collection of massive Hans Hoffman paintings, a more intimate presentation of Forrest Bess's work, and poignant mixed media and video work by Geta Brătescu.The museum proved to be a fantastic site for exploration, whether via zooming among the many ramps, extensive sketchbooking, or having some lighthearted arts and crafts fun in the children's section. Because hey, everyone's a kid when free crayons and clay are involved. 

Lunch on/in a sculpture at the BAM's sculpture garden. 

photography by Chris R. and Megan