Mayaalter
Inside Oxbow

SFMOMA Takeover

02/20/17

On Thursday, The Oxbow School enjoyed its second field trip to the SFMOMA since last year's grand reopening. Over the course of several hours, there was a side trip for the printmakers to Crown Point Press around the corner (Stephen and Patrick's former kingdom) where we were treated to a tour of the gallery and studio, a jaunt across the street to the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and we were also joined by four alumni in an impromptu whirlwind space-time-warp (shout outs to LENORA, OS1, former Alumni intern and Science Instructor; Zen, OS30; and Maceo and Edan of OS35). Continuing OS35's fantastic photo contest tradition yielded expectedly great and some truly original results over the seven floors, countless stairways, and hidden rooms. Hats off to OS35 for this (hopefully) lasting stamp on the Oxbow SFMOMA experience, and kudos to OS36 for their wonderful contributions, many of which are below!

Today marks the start of OS36's first Visiting Artist residency, and this one is notable in particular because we're hosting two at once! Hung Liu and Jeff Kelley will be working with OS36 for the next 10 days, and presenting a lecture tomorrow night at 7pm at the CIA Theater at Copia, 500 First Street. Join us if you're local!

Allegra Maya A2
Allegramaya A1
Allegramayaa3
Allegramayaa4
Allegramayaa5
Ben
Ben2
Bluerae
Crown Pointgallery
Judith
Julia
Liv
Pearl
Pearlkyriarowan
Pearlrowan
Pfoy
Rowan
Rowaneva
Sally
Sally Pilar
Sally2
Sallyrowaneva
Saraceno
Sfmomabus
Sid
Sydneyhurstandjessez

Oxbow forced me to create, and by creating, I established foundation for my thought.

— Jamie Roux, Spring 2003

Oxbow gave Will a voice and a community. Under the nurturing attention of his wonderful teachers, he learned that he had the intellectual capability to express himself and that his unique point of view was, in fact, an asset.

— David Becker, Parent

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

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