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Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Lordy Lordy Lordy
OS32 has been enjoying their time with Artist in Residence, Lordy Rodriguez. Lordy's own work is steeped in mapmaking imagery and the idea of fashioning and recording one's place in the world. For Oxbow, Lordy designed a large scale group project that will hang in the school's dining hall upon completion. Each student was assigned a "state" to construct, incorporating personal symbols and landmarks. A few regions banded together to form local geographies, histories, and, infrastructure while others opted for a more independent track. Below are some reflections on the workshop by Bonnie, Stefan, and Camilla as well as photos of OS32 and Lordy at work.
It was really fun to be able to create a self portrait in a new kind of way, instead of just in the most traditional way. Lordy was really nice and supportive and it was great to get to know him and get his input on my artwork. Overall, this project was a new approach and it expanded my outlook on art.
Bonnie
I had a blast representing my favorite activities in a map. I used foam and pulp to construct mountain ranges with a neighboring state and decided that my land was infested with wizards. Lordy was very supportive of my project and he appreciated the style that I threw on it. He encouraged us to interpret the assignment in our own way which I found to be empowering.
Stefan
When I first saw Lordy's work, I loved it. It was something I had never seen before, so it gave me a huge amount of inspiration. I was really excited about this project, and I knew exactly what my state was going to be called, and what it would look like. Lordy really helped me along the way with improving and perfecting my work. I thought this was a really cool project and I was really impressed with how everyone was able to incorporate pieces of themselves into their states.
Camilla
photos: Pattiann Koury and Megan Broughton
Saturday, March 28, 2015
The Artivist Project
Humanities designed a weeklong workshop called "The Artivism Project" wherein the role of the artist in society was studied, discussed, and observed. After a close reading of Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience," and a viewing of Cornel West's interview from the film Examined Life, the students considered the work of several political artists who address social issues through various means (Sue Coe, Robbie Conal, Mark Rakowitz, Krzysztof Wodiczko, The Beehive Collective and more). With all this in mind, the students are creating zines and/or micro-docs exploring social issues of personal importance and proposing some preliminary ideas for moving forward. 
Each section also took a fieldtrip to further this study. Two popped down to the Oakland Museum of California for their current show "Fertile Ground: Art and Community in California" (highly recommend) which showcases not only the work of artists but also traces their relationships to each other via pedagogical lineages. P.S. Chris is famous.
The third section truly lucked out with a visit to a biodynamic farm in Petaluma run by our science teacher's close friend and former colleague, Seth James. Open Field Farm raises grass fed beef and chickens and grows various crops throughout the year. As we toured the property, "the role of the artist/farmer/consumer/citizen/innovator in society" was on full display in every way from the manner in which the farm was established and maintained, the way in which the community is directly incorporated via a CSA, and the information shared with us by Seth. Considering our earlier discussion about Sue Coe (who creates large drawings of deplorable factory farms), this was an incredibly relevant experience in order to observe the positive alternatives.
Leaving Open Field Farm was difficult, but class with Lordy Rodriguez (our current Visiting Artist) was scheduled for that afternoon. Check back next week for photos and reflections on his residency!
Photos of Open Field Farm by Camilla T and Megan Broughton
Friday, March 20, 2015
Sneak Peeks
In the secretive spirit of Project X, it's time for the "sneak peek" post: abstracted close ups of OS32's works in progress. Keeping the mystery, sharing the creativity. Enjoy!
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