The art that goes on in most high schools is usually relatively skill-based. At Oxbow, there is more emphasis on looking and seeing and more critical thinking about what you are doing, the human connection, that personal element. Through art you can begin to understand yourself better. That may be the biggest eye-opener for students. It is almost a preview of college. Get out of the mechanical factory high school education and get into something open, new, and invigorating in a small environment.

Oxbow opened me up to what was out there in the world to go out and grab, and gave me so much that I take with me everywhere I go, with everything I do.

I saw how 18 weeks at Oxbow changed the kids’ lives in terms of confidence. They are committed, poised and have been through a process that gave them authenticity, it gave them a voice. Magic happens in those 18 weeks at Oxbow. Kids come out different human beings, better citizens of the world. It’s really powerful.

If at any point Oxbow doubts the good it does, I just want to reassure you all that you’re changing the lives of young artists every semester.

The most valuable gift she was given was the support and trust to discover herself on her own....As I reflect on Georgia’s amazing transformation, I know that there was great intention and planning that went into her time at Oxbow. I understand the delicate balance between strict control and allowing freedom, especially at this precarious time of life, which you, as faculty and director must walk. ...I want to thank you for holding them all to a higher standard, for believing that they will get there.

My brother, Gus is in the process of getting his PHD (Environmental Science) at Sydney University in Australia. I asked him what his workspace was like at Sydney Uni, to which he responded, "Nice, but its not Oxbow". This prompted a discussion between the two of us about how incredibly fortunate we were to have attended Oxbow. The hand full of kids that get to attend Oxbow every semester have to be some of the world's most fortunate teenagers!

From Gus and myself - Thank you Oxbow!

At Oxbow, the eye and the hand are inseparable from the mind and because their peers are also artists, students adopt fresh attitudes toward their work.

What is incredibly powerful about Oxbow is its heuristic approach; its process is based on enabling students to discover or learn things for themselves. Oxbow takes an integrated approach to getting a solid liberal arts education, but it’s art-centric—everything has an art focus. This differs from the ‘siloed’ nature of education in this country, where courses are taught with no relationship to each other.

At its heart, science is about discovering the hows and whys of the universe, and art is about representing them for the self and others. Both the performance of science and the creation of art are hands-on, intensely creative activities, and it was a pleasure to show students how the two disciplines were alike in so many ways.

I wanted to write you this letter because recently I’ve realized how beneficial my time at Oxbow really was. I am currently taking an Ancient Humanities class at Reed College and I constantly find myself imparting much of my knowledge gained from Oxbow on my study of Greek thought. I didn't realize at the time how beneficial the circle drawing really was (my Final Project was drawing a 'perfect' circle). I must confess that once presented, the concept seemed a little contrived to me, but now I realize that it was an excellent exercise in attempting to attain perfection. It seems to me like that is what everyone is trying to do. Whether it be art, philosophy, physics or religion we all want to find order within the disorder. We are all governed by entropy and that tension of striving for order, while being pulled by disorder allows for infinite beauty. And I guess if I had to write "What Art Is . . ." again that is probably what I would say. So I just wanted to say thank you. I think Oxbow really gave me a strong foundation for dealing with entropy. Oxbow forced me to create, and by creating I established foundation for my thought. I wanted to thank you for introducing me to Joseph Campbell and the study of myth. I think that I will probably major in religion or philosophy and minor in art. Or the other way around, but regardless I am wholly invested in the quest for truth and perfection and beauty and I think Oxbow allowed me to pursue that in a serious manner.