Students

Amazing Students

Oxbow has welcomed over 1,600 students from all over the United States and internationally to join us for a semester of art, academics, and vibrant community. Some have experienced living away from home, and for others, this is the first time. Some students are already accomplished artists, and some have never before made a painting or sculpture. Some of them want to pursue art or design, and others are looking towards, medicine, education or public policy; some are still exploring.

What unites them is a desire to find the courage to step away from the known and explore a new place with like-minded peers. Every student that comes to Oxbow is new, and together each group of students form a special bond that lasts a lifetime.

Who They Are

Where They Go

Student Artwork

Oxbow Q&A by Ella

The Oxbow School has both a local and national reputation for excellence. Oxbow produces great artists. In its studio, these emerging artists have a community of creative peers who respect one another and foster an expectation to produce thoughtful, sophisticated work.

— Paul Coffey, Vice Provost and Dean of Community Engagement, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

The art that goes on in most high schools is usually relatively skill-based. At Oxbow, there is more emphasis on looking and seeing and more critical thinking about what you are doing, the human connection, that personal element. Through art you can begin to understand yourself better. That may be the biggest eye-opener for students. It is almost a preview of college. Get out of the mechanical factory high school education and get into something open, new, and invigorating in a small environment.

— Bill Barrett, Former Oxbow Board Member, Former Executive Director of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD)

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

A School Like No Other

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