Oxbow School
Encyclopedia
The Oxbow School is a private single semester arts school for high school juniors and seniors located in Napa, California
, sitting near an oxbow
of the Napa River
. High school juniors and seniors can choose to attend in either the fall or spring semester with visual arts and academic focus.
The school trains students in painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and digital media while still satisfying high school graduation requirements and preparing them for college admittance.
The school was founded in 1997 and opened in 1999.
The school's philosophy encourages students to explore the materials, their selves, and their processes of thinking and creating. Many kids enter with high levels of art experience, many with none, and a range in between, however each group is encouraged to work together. challenge each other in any way possible, and for each individual to challenge their selves.
The Oxbow School is many students' first and only chance to live independently before college. Therefore, the person who first enters the school is often not the person faculty and other students will recognize by the conclusion of the program.
Physical Education is also a required course. In PE, students' choices include Extreme Hiking, Biking, Gardening, Walking,Running, and Soccer.
. Past groups have gone to the De Young Museum, and the San Francisco Center for the Book
(SFCB).
Established artists often visit Oxbow as featured lecturers, such as The Art Guys
, Mary Austin, Kathleen Burch of SFCB, and David Best.
Napa, California
-History:The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the...
, sitting near an oxbow
Oxbow lake
An oxbow lake is a U-shaped body of water formed when a wide meander from the main stem of a river is cut off to create a lake. This landform is called an oxbow lake for the distinctive curved shape, named after part of a yoke for oxen. In Australia, an oxbow lake is called a billabong, derived...
of the Napa River
Napa River
The Napa River, approximately 55 miles long, is a river in the U.S. state of California. It drains a famous wine-growing region, called the Napa Valley, in the mountains northeast of San Francisco. Milliken Creek is a tributary of the Napa River....
. High school juniors and seniors can choose to attend in either the fall or spring semester with visual arts and academic focus.
The school trains students in painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography and digital media while still satisfying high school graduation requirements and preparing them for college admittance.
The school was founded in 1997 and opened in 1999.
The school's philosophy encourages students to explore the materials, their selves, and their processes of thinking and creating. Many kids enter with high levels of art experience, many with none, and a range in between, however each group is encouraged to work together. challenge each other in any way possible, and for each individual to challenge their selves.
Student Body and Life
About 60 percent of students at Oxbow have come from public schools, 40 percent from private schools. They have been divided about equally between students from California and students from all over the rest of the country. Some have had plenty of experience living away from home; for others, this is their first time. Some are already accomplished artists; some have never before made a painting or sculpture. Some want to pursue art, design, architecture, film, photography, and the computer as a career. Others are still open and searching. Some are athletes, musicians, writers; others are artists, thinkers, tinkerers and creators. Some love to hang out with friends; others prefer a more solitary life.The Oxbow School is many students' first and only chance to live independently before college. Therefore, the person who first enters the school is often not the person faculty and other students will recognize by the conclusion of the program.
Academics
Oxbow's academic curriculum is nothing short of unique in its execution. Students are required to take one Science and Humanities class each as part of the morning routine. Some students also hire Foreign Language and Math teachers, to prevent their skills from slipping during the semester away.Physical Education is also a required course. In PE, students' choices include Extreme Hiking, Biking, Gardening, Walking,Running, and Soccer.
Field Trips and Artist Residency
Occasionally, the students may be taken on field trips to nearby popular cities, such as San Francisco and BerkeleyBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. Past groups have gone to the De Young Museum, and the San Francisco Center for the Book
San Francisco Center for the Book
The San Francisco Center for the Book is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Mary Austin and Kathleen Burch in San Francisco, California in the United States...
(SFCB).
Established artists often visit Oxbow as featured lecturers, such as The Art Guys
The Art Guys
The Art Guys are a collaborative artist team based in Houston, Texas....
, Mary Austin, Kathleen Burch of SFCB, and David Best.