Mitsukobrooks
Visiting Artist Lectures

Mitsuko Brooks

02/10/17

Mitsuko Brooks OS2 comes full-circle returning as Oxbow's Alumni Visiting Artist Lecturer.

Lecture: Tuesday, April 11, 2017 7:00 – 8:30pm
Location: The CIA at Copia Theater, 500 First Street, Napa, CA

Mitsuko Brooks was born during snowfall in Aomori Prefecture of Japan on Misawa Air Force Base, and grew up in Dover, Delaware; Albany, Oregon; Aviano, Italy; Gaithersburg, Maryland; and New York City. Her grandparents are from Ibaraki Prefecture in Japan and Virginia in the states, and parents born in Manchuria, China and Mount Joy, Pennsylvania. She graduated with a BFA from Cooper Union, is a current MFA candidate in UCLA's Painting & Drawing Department, and attended Oxbow. She resides in Los Angeles and works to manipulate, reorganize, and repurpose online texts, artifacts, and trash through assemblage and installations. Embedded in her family tree, with histories of colonialism; her life and work responds to acts of domination and exploitation. But more importantly, she is inspired to make work about the fragility of life and paradoxical human condition of suffering and happiness.

mitsukobrooks.com

I have learned so many skills and habits that have made me a better person throughout my time here. To name a few: I have learned how to be a good roommate, how to communicate, and how to trust myself. I have learned the importance of staying hydrated, getting good sleep, and having a clean work space. I have learned how to share space both in the studios and dorms. Lastly, I have learned that it’s okay to advocate for what you need and that there is no harm in asking for help or support.

— Grace Reynolds, Fall 2023

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

Oxbow opened me up to what was out there in the world to go out and grab, and gave me so much that I take with me everywhere I go, with everything I do.

— Nina Palomba, Spring 2008

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