Dear Oxbow community,

As we spend this week expressing gratitude for friends and family, I would like to extend my gratitude to you for being part of the larger Oxbow story. It is our personal connection and shared commitment to an equitable arts education that enables us to invite young scholars and artists from across the country. When students participate in a semester at Oxbow, they are welcomed into a community of like-minded artists and undergo a life altering transformation that sets them on the path to be proactive citizens in the world. It is truly inspiring to be witness to the work our students do and, more important, to participate in a story that is bigger than me. You are also an important voice in this narrative.

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INVEST IN THE OXBOW STORY

“How can I be a more authentic person? What does it mean to be a steward for the environment? How can an arts practice promote social justice?” As I walk through the classes today, these questions float in the air, infusing the community with vibrant, energized possibilities. Oxbow students are shifting their inward selves externally, marking a pivotal turning point in the semester in which students begin to articulate what they stand for in life and, more important, how they are going to give shape to those values as active, responsible citizens in the world.

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As we welcome 39 vibrant students from across the country, I am struck by the excitement that comes with the start of the school year. Having been in education for my entire life, my sense of time is inextricably tied to the school calendar. Call me nostalgic, but I long for the opening of the school year.

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Dear Oxbow Friends,

Following the remarkable leadership provided by Stephen Thomas for twenty years, it is my humble pleasure to bring another academic year to a successful close. Stephen has been a close friend and mentor for me throughout my tenure at Oxbow and I am indebted to him and the founders, the Mondavis and Ann Hatch, for bringing the vision for an arts-centric community into reality for motivated adolescents across the country. In honor of Stephen’s dedication to Oxbow, the “Stephen Thomas Scholarship Fund” was launched last year to support future students who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend. I am proud to announce that this scholarship fund is thriving today with record numbers of students receiving scholarship money.

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Dear Oxbow Friends,

It's been a couple of months since you have heard from me; lots has been going on, including welcoming OS36 in January. They are now well into the Fortune Cookie project, and are delighted some sunshine has finally arrived after all the crazy rain this winter. Students thoroughly enjoyed Visiting Artist Hung Liu and Jeff Kelley’s recent residency where she worked closely with students on large-format paintings of tiny objects, and Jeff delivered a series of college-level slide lectures on contemporary art history. As some of you will remember, Hung was our very first resident artist, working in a building on the fairgrounds since the studios were not even built!

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To everyone who joined us for the 3rd Annual Riverside Picnic and Concert on Saturday, June 11 to RAISE THEIR PADDLES in support of The Oxbow School, THANK YOU! The event was once again a wonderful gathering of friends on Oxbow’s stunning campus to enjoy great food and wine, fun live bluegrass music, and we raised over $75,000 in support of deserving Oxbow students. Thanks to the generosity of the community who shares our commitment to student diversity, we are able to provide financial aid and create a school of access for students from a diverse array of backgrounds and experiences.

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Please join us on June 11th for the 3rd Annual Oxbow Picnic & Concert on the Oxbow lawn with music and great food – it's a fun afternoon by the Napa River.

Don't miss the live Bluegrass musical performance by Ed Neff and his band, and the fabulous picnic featuring food and drink from some of the Bay Area's finest purveyors. Purchase your tickets now!

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Oxbow Friends - Thank you to so many of you who showed up in support of both Oxbow and Margrit Mondavi, one of Oxbow's founders on April 16th at the Robert Mondavi Winery - it was a spectacular evening in every way; the weather couldn't have been nicer or the setting more beautiful. The event was sold out with many family members and long-time friends of Margrit, and a sizable group of devoted friends of Oxbow; and best of all, thanks to Margrit's generosity and foresight for collecting many works by visiting artists to the winery over a 40 year period-all of which were auctioned off that evening-Oxbow was the recipient of the proceeds from the event. Truly a win-win for all involved!

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