The Oxbow School Gifts Campus to Napa Valley Education Foundation

Napa, CA – April 30, 2025 - The Oxbow School is pleased to announce that its campus, including its studios, dorms, dining hall, and office, will be gifted to the Napa Valley Education Foundation (NVEF) following the school's previously announced closure last August. This transition ensures that Oxbow’s legacy of creativity, learning, and community engagement will continue to thrive in Napa Valley.

Over many months, a subcommittee of the Board of Trustees carefully considered several potential recipients, seeking ones that shared its values as a nonprofit institution and had a demonstrated commitment to arts education and academic excellence. The Board sought an organization that would honor the vision of the school's founders, Ann Hatch, Robert and Margrit Mondavi, whose dedication to arts education and the creative development of young people laid the foundation for Oxbow’s mission.

“For more than two decades, The Oxbow School has provided an immersive and transformative educational experience for young artists,” said Beth Karpfinger, Chair, Board of Trustees of The Oxbow School. “We are proud to pass this campus to an organization that shares our commitment to creativity and education. The Napa Valley Education Foundation is uniquely positioned to build upon Oxbow’s legacy and ensure the campus continues to serve students and the Napa community. In gifting the campus to the Napa Valley Education Foundation, the Board is confident that this legacy will continue to thrive and serve future generations.”

The Napa Valley Education Foundation, an education-focused nonprofit, has long inspired and supported public school students in Napa Valley.

"We are honored to carry forward the legacy of The Oxbow School campus and its deep commitment to arts education," said Jennifer Stewart, Executive Director of the Napa Valley Education Foundation. "This gift ensures that the campus remains a place of creativity, learning, and inspiration for future generations. We look forward to building upon Oxbow’s incredible foundation and continuing to serve students and the broader community in meaningful ways."

The transaction will close in early May. More details on the transition and future programming at the campus will be shared by NVEF in the coming months.

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About The Oxbow School
The Oxbow School was the nation’s only art-focused semester boarding program for high school students, offering a transformative educational experience that combined immersive studio art practice with rigorous academics. The school provided a space where students explored creativity, critical thinking, and self-discovery in a supportive, interdisciplinary environment. For additional information, please visit www.oxbowschool.org.

Dear friends, families, and colleagues of The Oxbow School community,

In everything we do, we strive to embody openness, honesty, and true partnership with this community. In our 25th year, we reflect on the many challenges we have faced, and now, it is our duty to write to you in the spirit of partnership, albeit with difficult news.

The Board of Trustees made the difficult decision to close The Oxbow School following the 2024 Summer Art Institute session. In recent weeks, the Board has carefully and painstakingly considered the future of The Oxbow School and has been in touch with both its former and current Heads of School, Stephen Thomas and Jennifer Jordan, respectively. The headwinds against independent schools have been, and remain, quite strong, and the practical and financial realities of operating a small, arts-focused boarding school such as ours have dramatically evolved.

This was not a decision we took lightly, but it was one the Board was called to make. In the end, we simply could not adapt our unique and intimate school experience without losing the special character and identity that have defined Oxbow.

We recognize this news is heartbreaking for everyone in our community, past and present. Yet, we know our shared mission and the impact we have made extends far beyond the walls of this school, now and in the future.

Even after The Oxbow School closes, our students will continue to seek growth and knowledge in new ways. We know that education is fueled by passion, which burns deep within each student at The Oxbow School. We know that inspiration is found in every avenue of life and that transformative and innovative learning does not exist here alone.

We are deeply grateful to our dedicated and talented faculty, whose unshakeable belief in our students and the arts laid the foundation for many meaningful experiences. Importantly, school leaders will identify and share ways in which we can appropriately celebrate and honor the legacy of this school and the pioneering contributions of our founders, Ann Hatch and Robert and Margrit Mondavi, together while reflecting on the many lives we have touched.

We strongly believe, as we know you do too, in the power of the arts. We encourage our students, faculty, and alumni to continue seeking knowledge and inspiration, and we know you will continue honing your unique talents for years to come. We have forged lasting experiences, bonds, and memories here at Oxbow. We will collectively carry the achievements we have accomplished together.

Thank you for being a part of this exceptional community.

Sincerely,

Oxbow School, Board of Trustees

The Oxbow School was a semester program in Napa, California focusing on studio art-making and interdisciplinary humanities. This program provided sophomores, juniors, seniors, and gap-year students the opportunity for an intensive art experience and thought-provoking academic instruction. Oxbow also offered a spirited and engaging 6-week Summer Art Institute for rising sophomores, juniors, seniors, and gap year students.

The atmosphere at Oxbow was one of artistic and social exploration combined with rigorous academics designed to prepare students for college and beyond. Oxbow alumni often went on to earn distinguished art and writing awards, and earned offers of admission and win scholarships at top colleges and universities.

Oxbow invited students to enlarge their artistic vision and enhance their technical skills in an environment dedicated to supporting artistic inquiry. Students took this opportunity to further their education, expand their social horizons, explore their passion for art, and create a new foundation for their future.