Essential to the Oxbow experience is the presence of compassionate adults—as artists, teachers, mentors, and advisors—in every aspect of the life of the students and the School. Oxbow faculty members are passionate about sharing the excitement of inquiry-based learning and personal growth with students. Their firm commitment to developmental concepts such as self-reliance, individual responsibility, resourcefulness, and self-reflection, leads students to the development of the skills and habits of mind that build to life-long learning.
Hey guys! OS33 alumni here! I received a full ride to California College of the Arts and just wanted to tell you guys that if it wasn't for the Oxbow experience and the great faculty who saw the potential in me I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did. I am still waiting for other colleges at the moment but I think this might be the school I will attend this fall!
— Keily Maldonado , Fall 2015
It's been a whirlwind week, but also a time when I sang the praises of Oxbow to my colleagues. I've been thinking much about how Oxbow is an exemplar of true education. That art centers the curriculum is hardly surprising, and for those of us who work within the traditional educational mold Oxbow offers a gold standard of focused project based learning. Beyond the school's approach to immersive experience are the intangibles which make Oxbow different. The sense of community and of working together, even as each student retained their strong individual presence is palpable. The feeling of warmth and trust between the adults and the nearly adults in the Oxbow community could be felt throughout the campus. The openness of the architecture and interconnectedness of the three studios in themselves speak of the Oxbow philosophy and identity. More than form follows function, the physical attributes of Oxbow have a distinct warmth and invite exploration.
I'm sure that the ongoing challenges of leading and reinventing your school might sometimes keep you from having the time to see Oxbow with the fresh eyes of a visitor, but your steady presence and vision are really visible in every detail. Thank you for inviting me to one of the most profound experiences in my career.
— Ken Rush, Visual Arts Department, Packer Collegiate Institute
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.
— Charles Altieri, Rachel Anderson Stageberg Chair, Professor of English, University of California, Berkeley
A School Like No Other