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Oxbow Annual Report 2019 GL cover 1
News + Notes

Annual Gratitude Report

10/29/19

More than $730,000 in student scholarship awards was provided in FY 2019! We are truly grateful for the generous support of our many donors from across the globe and the significant impact their contributions make on the lives of Oxbow students. Our commitment to creating opportunities for all students to create, grow, and thrive would not be possible without them.

See full FY2019 Annual Report HERE

Students on a hike
News + Notes

Annual Student Scholarship Fund

10/29/19

Did you know that nearly half of all students who have attended Oxbow received scholarship support? YOUR contributions to our Annual Scholarship Fund really do make a difference in a student’s life. No gift is too small as every gift combined allows the school to continue providing an extraordinary experience to ALL talented and deserving students. Look for our Annual Scholarship Fund letter in your mailbox or make a tax-deductible donation online at any time.

Donate Online

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Around the Bend

Around the Bend - October 2019

10/22/19

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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Faculty and Staff

Chris Thorson's Solo Exhibition opens at Ampersand International Arts in San Francisco

10/08/19

Chris Thorson's solo exhibition Long Term Relationships opens at Ampersand International Arts gallery at 1001 Tennessee Street (between 20th and 22th Streets) in San Francisco on October 17, 2019 and runs through November 15, 2019. The opening reception is on October 17th from 6 – 9pm.

Chris Thorson is Oxbow School's Dean of Arts Practice and Painting Instructor. christhrosonstudio.com

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Around the Bend

Around-the-Bend - September 2019

09/20/19

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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NYS Climate
In the Studios

Youth Strike for Climate Justice

09/20/19

OS41 students created a strong message in their video to promote and prepare for the Global Climate Strike. On Friday, September 20th of the global climate strike, all Oxbow students and staff will walk out of school at 2pm here in Napa to protest for laws to be put in place to get to zero carbon emissions by 2030. Two Oxbow students (Carter Dettmer and Zwena Gray) will speak at the protest alongside students from local high schools, community members, and political figures here in the city. After the strike, Oxbow students will participate in the rest of the climate week activities and are hosting a community art event. Youth are not only the face of this powerful movement, but also the voice, as we fight for our future.

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Faculty and Staff

Oxbow faculty share their Arctic Circle Residency experience

09/19/19

In June, armed with many layers, we embarked on their The Arctic Circle Residency for artists, scientists, and educators. We sought this experience to explore ways of further integrating expedition based residencies into the Oxbow curriculum. For two weeks, we sailed on the tall ship Antigua along the mountainous west coast of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Our ship manifest consisted of 30 artists/participants, 4 guides, and 9 ship crew members. The participants represented a globe spanning community of thinkers and makers interested in testing out ideas related to responding to climate change. The Arctic Ocean provided a profoundly dramatic setting to research together, network, tell stories and reflect as we sailed the glacial bays and hiked through thawing permafrost and snow.

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Oxbow School is one of the preeminent choices for creative high school students interested in the arts. Their project-based, integrated approach to learning mirrors the approach of many top art schools. At California College of the Arts, we are thrilled to see applicants who have attended Oxbow because we know they are well prepared for the rigors of college level work. I wish there had been an Oxbow School when I was a high school student!

— Stephen Beal, President, California College of the Arts

The Oxbow School has both a local and national reputation for excellence. Oxbow produces great artists. In its studio, these emerging artists have a community of creative peers who respect one another and foster an expectation to produce thoughtful, sophisticated work.

— Paul Coffey, Vice Provost and Dean of Community Engagement, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

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.

— Bill Barrett, Former Oxbow Board Member, Former Executive Director of Association, College of Art and Design (AICAD)

A School Like No Other

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