Getting Their Sea Legs

In honor of OS32's first full week on the river, we've collected some great photos for you that epitomize "the early days" of each semester. Some universally Oxbowhemian moments you will find here are: class breaks on the lawn, sketching the First Street bridge, discovering the school's many gardens and produce trees (one of which has a clever alteration thanks to OS31's Chris R.), obsessive slack lining, dinnertime conversation, and those intense first few studio days. These are special times for each semester as their culture and community is shaped and fostered from within. As educators, it is particularly incredible for us to witness these moments time and time again with new faces and personalities at work and play. 

OS32's first art project, Observation, will be complete by the end of the weekend! Check back here for reflections on that experience and snapshots of their final works. 

     Students work in groups on the lawn. // Jocelyn K. sketching.

It wouldn't be Oxbow without a slack line. // click on this image of the orange tree to see Chris R's (OS31), playful additions.

Students in sculpture learning various techniques with Patrick. 

Lily K. chats with her advisor Alex over dinner. 

photography by Tati B

INTRODUCING: OS32

They have arrived! Our 32nd semester is underway with 40 students from all over the United States, Canada, and as far away as Brazil. We're excited to work with these eloquent and multi talented students and to get to know them in the months to come. They've already had multiple opportunities in the first weekend alone to present their work to each other and their level of confidence and grace are encouraging signs for the semester. Check back here for weekly updates and student contributions - we'll be sharing news and snapshots of classes, shows, field trips and more.

(an early morning journaling session during Orientation Weekend)

31 for 31: Over & Out

It's that day: the one full of teary eyes and the sound of luggage wheels crashing down the stairs. OS31 is leaving us after quite the semester and armed with some very poignant advice from OS21, OS29 (thank you!) and each other. We have 31 marvelous, talented, hilarious, sassy, and caring new alumni who we hope will keep each other and Dum Dums close to their hearts. Congratulations to all of you for hanging in there with us - from the earthquake to the "flood." You're all champs and we are proud of you and your time here. It's not a "goodbye," it's a "see you soon."

The blog will be back in action in mid January - just in time to share OS32's adventures. 

Installation Mania

You know it's full steam ahead when this box emerges. / Watching paint dry. / Finn and Patrick mid-installation.

***

Some of these shots will look familiar to alumni who have experienced "Finals Week" at Oxbow;  a non-stop installation extravaganza where the campus is turned on its head. In a whirlwind of activity, our studios are transformed into galleries via a well worn path of cleaning, clearing, spackling, and painting. If we had a nickel for every coat of paint on these walls, well...we wouldn't be rich but we'd have a decent amount of pocket change. Students drive the bulk of this work under direction from the faculty. Playing a part in the entire process is extremely rewarding - students witness first hand their ability to transform a space and professionally present their hard work. At times, this is a very creative process as we troubleshoot how to install certain pieces these Oxbohemians' crazy artistic minds have cooked up. 

                               


       Local readers: mark your calendars for OS31's Open House this weekend, December 13th and 14th from 1pm to 3pm. Students will be present on Saturday to discuss their work so stop by and meet these talented and articulate young artists!

A Micah in his natural habitat. / Hannah N. touches up her installation. / Isabel and Jeff (at center and right) assist Charley with her project.

photos: Hannah N and Megan

Left: The back of the Sculpture studio is stuffed with stools, chairs, tables, and equipment from the other studios. Right: Niki preps photos for installation.

Making Their Mark

One of the things I love most about the Final Project month is how individuals' work spaces begin to form self portraits. While in the studios, students curate a record of their time here as shown in the accruement of experiments, notes, and snack cart refuse. Patterns are formed through repetitive movements, tools are arranged in particular order and disorder, and materials reappear throughout in various forms: contained or in smudges, spills, drips, piles, charts. Each workspace is an abstract version of the final art piece. The studios take on the characteristics of multiple people- wandering through can feel like traveling between many worlds. Don't forget OS31's Final Show weekend December 13th and 14th!

Chris R, Kendall M, Cecelia H

(above) Kevin O and Sam S

(below) Isabella A and Liz C

Hannah N...and all the printmakers

Studio Snapshots

Studio activity has ramped up as OS31 prepares to leave for Thanksgiving. With only a week of working time after break, students are keeping their noses to the grindstone amidst critiques and paper editing. Check back in two weeks for more studio snapshots - they're guaranteed to rise in messiness and intensity along with the times.

The "before and after" of one element of Isabel R's Final Project: a performance based video piece. 

Kevin's palette, Esther's sketches, and the state of our studio tables these days.  

    

Palmer, Sam, Kendall, and Jeff at work (and play).

Workspaces of:  Palmer, Cecelia, Hannah N, and Claire K.

Visiting Artist Workshops in Review

Each semester, two artists are invited for ten day residencies at Oxbow. This unique opportunity allows for students and visitors alike to explore ideas and take new directions in their art making, both individually and as a group. OS31 hosted Anna Von Mertens and Michael Arcega for two wildly different workshops. 

Anna Von Mertens' art is heavily research driven; investigations of phenomena crossing the realms of scientific study and her private world are of particular interest. These are translated into subjective pieces usually via means of hand dyeing and quilting. She says," These patterns reveal to me aspects of our existence, whether it is how we experience time and face the infinite - embedded in that is our own mortality - or how the boundary of the body is presented to others versus how it is felt internally. I see all of these elements as a form of mapping, reflecting the need to get my own bearings in this vast universe."

Anna coached OS31 through several quilting projects, culminating in a large collaborative collage which now hangs in our historic dining hall. 

Michael Arcega is a sculptor and installation artist whose work utilizes language and historic narratives to explore sociopolitical dynamics and unbalanced power relations. "Jumbling signifier, material, linguistics, and site," Michael uses considers cultural connotations found in "food, architecture, visual lexicons," and the rich contrasts of insider vs. outsider knowledge. 

With this in mind, Michael asked OS31 to create a series of body extensions meant to consider the body as an art medium and raise questions of functionality, intent, ingrained social perceptions, and redefining the physical limitations of the body. Ranging from techno-heads to buddy suits to musical helmets to plastic claws to clothes tents to an epistolary approach, these projects are exciting in their inventiveness, playfulness, and capacity for serious commentary. 

quoted text from http://annavonmertens.com and http://arcega.us/home.html. Photos: Finn N, Patrick, Pattiann, Megan