Narrative : Moving Images

In the New Media Narrative project, students are introduced to the possibilities of movie-making as a complex visual/aural medium. Throughout the course, they respond to various "challenges" -- in writing, still photography, sound collection and video -- in an effort to 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. 

The course culminates with each student utilizing these tools to create a short moving image piece that conveys their introspective spirit and unique perception. Karen, Annie, Jennifer, and Sam have generously offered to share their wonderful work. Enjoy!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

 Karen

 Annie

 Jennifer

 Sam

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."

WELCOME OS29!

Greetings Ox-Blog followers! Welcome back, old friends. New readers, we're so glad to have you with us. Once again, apologies for the delay in programming... getting the gears greased and the Ox-machine running again after a summer respite is an all-consuming task. But campus is humming with fresh energy, and we are proud to announce the launch of OS29. This exciting and diverse new class comes to us from all corners of the country--Maine, Florida, Southern California, and Washington, and everywhere in between. New Mexico is well-represented, as are Minnesota, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, and Illinois. This a group of THINKERS, MAKERS, and DOERS.

Each Oxbow class develops a unique character over time, and while we can make guesses at what some of the defining features of OS29 will be, we'll have to wait and see how the semester unfolds. But one thing that every incoming class has in common is their exuberance at meal times--the food at Oxbow is just so good. So to whet your pallets for news of OS29's freshly-launched adventure, we'll leave you to salivate over this delectable Ox-Lunch:

For those of you who are new to the Ox-Blog: we post about campus happenings once a week, sometimes more, and you can sign up to receive an email notification each time a new post goes up--see the "subscribe" box at the top right corner of the blog homepage. 

Letters From Abroad

This week have a special post--Laura Brentrup, OS16 alum and Sculpture Studio Teaching Assistant to OS28, reports from her new home base--Italy. Great to hear from you, Laura!

Bergamo 'old city' (citta alta)

Ciao da Milano! 

I arrived here June 15th and it has been a non-stop adventure ever since! My main purpose of being here is taking classes at NABA (Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti-- New Academy of Beautiful Art), a design and art institution located in the Navigli (canal) district of Milan. I am enrolled in two sessions of design courses taught by architect and designer, Francesco Librizzi, who just so happens to be part of the design team of the Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, a major international art exhibition occurring this year. I am the only American in my class and have gotten to meet people from literally all over the world: Portugal, Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Belgium, Russia, Mongolia.... it has been fascinating learning  about all these different cultures. The class is taught in English, so as the only native English speaker in the room, you can imagine the chaos that often ensues... Being here, engaging in these modeling workshops (our first course involved designing a planet for one person--beginning with the 'core' and each additional day constructing another layer, building outward; the second course designing a villa to house both humans and animals, with the goal being connecting each students' model together at the end...There are a lot of sticks, cardboard, Styrofoam, measuring and glue involved!) is experience much different then I expected--it has taught me 'design' and 'art' are on two vastly different ends of the spectrum; 'artists' and 'designers' are two completely different breeds of people, and do not make the mistake of mixing up the two! It is a distinction that is often overlooked and incorrectly interchanged. And alas, I am an 'artist' at heart and this experience has most definitely influenced the direction my life will take next...

Lago di Maggiore

Outside the classroom, life in Milan, 'design capital of the world', is a strange contrast between old and new. But the Italian culture permeates, the "bella vita" prevails, and this experience has been richly supplemented with once-in-a-lifetime happenings such as Richard Wagner's "Der Ring" an epic 19hour German opera, performed over the span of 4 days at the famous "Teatro Alla Scala," a private viewing of Leonardo's "Last Supper (Cenacolo)," visits to the art-rich Pinoteca di Brera, Museo Cinquecento, excursions to fortress towns (Bergamo), Torino (home of the 2006 Winter Olympics) and the countless hours of entertainment provided by simply standing by and observing a culture in love with life's simple pleasures: food, wine, and good company.

  

Climbing the Duomo (Cathedral), Milano

As my time here in Milano comes to a close, I am off, returning to the family I au paired for last year and will take a 'vacation from my vacation' at the seaside followed by a month in the Alps!

I wish OS28 all the best and hope that wherever life takes you next, you get out there and explore! The world is big, exciting place and Oxbow was just the start...! Keep in touch! 

Buon viaggio!

LAURA, OS16 

July, July!

Oxbow summer camp session #2 is underway, and the Oxbow semester program faculty are deep into their summers. We'll be posting soon on what they've been up to, but for now we're backtracking to tell you quickly about the adult program that happened here on campus in June. 

Last month Oxbow welcomed a new visiting artist, Cecilia Giampaoli, a printmaker living and working in Italy who joined the 10-day Adult Summer Studios program. Cecilia teaches both traditional and experimental printmaking techniques at ISIA Urbino, and was a resident artist at Kala in Berkeley before heading up to Oxbow. Here she shared her work and her practice with an eager group of printmakers and painters who worked alongside her. 

Cecilia began her Oxbow residency by giving an artist talk, focusing on her choice in subject matter, her technical process, and her own narrative journey as an artist. The Adult Summer Studios were all around a great success--big thanks to Cecilia for joining the Oxbow team!

Next week we'll stick with the Italian theme, and hear from OS16 alum Laura Brentrup, who moved to Milan after working with us as a TA last semester. 

Ciao!

Summer Break

Many apologies for the lapse in programming. Our Blog Master is out of the country -- practically on another planet -- and was overly optimistic to expect to find reliable Internet access in these remote regions (let alone regularly functioning electricity). Blog Master will return stateside (the land of smart phones, real coffee, and bathing facilities that don't require a bucket) mid-July, and your beloved weekly Oxbow blog will resume. We'll be posting about summer happenings on campus, and the adventures our faculty and staff are having beyond the Oxbow bubble. Happy summer!