Ox-Bow School of Craft
Ox-Bow is located on a peninsula in Saugatuck, MI along the Kalamazoo River that flows between Kalamazoo Lake and Lake Michigan. The campus is filled with trees, dirt paths, and buildings for housing and studios. The studios include a glass hot shop, painting and drawing, printmaking and photo, fibers, metals and of course, ceramics. I met with Ox-Bow School of Craft’s Campus Director, Claire Arctander who gave me a tour of the forested campus. They were in the process of closing up the school for the winter when I came to town so there was only ten or so people I saw around working on putting things to bed, but during the summer, the campus is bustling with 200+ people. These people include mostly students, who are the main focus of Ox-Bow. Their residency program fosters encouragement and often collaboration within the small cohort. For the summer residency, daily life is more self directed outside meal times (meals are eaten together in the dinning hall). For the long-form residency in the fall, the days are quite set and scheduled. The fall residency is a “programmed experience” and focus’ on a high level of community.
The private workspace is pretty bare with no shelving or much table top space. Wheels are available to borrow, but do not initially come with the room. The workspaces are a short distance from the main ceramic studio building and would require the artist to transport work by hand from their space to the kilns in the studio. Residents can work in the main studio, but space is prioritized to classes and students. The kilns are in good condition and the glaze lab is organized and well stocked. Residents are welcome to explore the use of other media.
When I walked around, Ox-Bow had the feeling of an artist summer camp. The housing is simple and comfortable, with no kitchen as all three meals are eaten all together in the dinning hall. There is a bonfire that is lit almost every night near the river to bond and unwind from the day. Everyone is there to learn and grow their artistic practice. As I was driving in as well as driving out, I saw at least ten deer shuffling through fall leaves and munching on grass.
