This scholarship is available to students enrolling in an Ox-Bow class who demonstrate financial need.  Applications for this scholarship are informational, not portfolio based, and are reviewed by the Ox-Bow Scholarship Committee on a rolling basis.

Faculty are encouraged to submit course proposals to teach at Ox-Bow for the summer and winter.

We are currently taking proposals for our Summer 2026 and Winter 2026 season. We are no longer in need for proposals for 2025.

SUMMER SESSION, June - August

Proposals for the Summer Session can be for 1-, 2-weeks Ox-Bow has 6 main studio areas-- painting and drawing, ceramics, papermaking, printmaking, metals, and glass, but will consider proposals in a variety of disciplines, including sound, fiber, performance, sculpture, art history, photo, film, new media, writing, visual and critical studies, and interdisciplinary areas.

 To propose a course you will need the following information:

•  Faculty Name, email, phone number, website if available
•  CV, or Resume (an MFA is required to teach a for-credit class at Ox-Bow)
•  Course Name
•  Session for which you are proposing
•  Course Description paragraph should be in the following format: 100 words addressing overall concept, 100 words addressing artists and readings, and 25 words addressing assignments and projects.
•  Not required but recommended—documentation of faculty and student work, may be in the following formats: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf, jpg, gif, mp3, mp4, tiff, png, mov. If this is included, please note that the program will automatically alphabetize your files so please name them accordingly. Please provide a documentation list which indicates the artist (Self or Student), title if known, media, etc.

WINTER SESSION, January

Proposals for the Winter Session are for 2-week classes. During the winter session, courses that are most successful engage the landscape and the winter weather. Ox-Bow has limited studio facilities available. Studios available for use are:

• Lutz, a group studio house available with 4 individual studio spaces
• Haas Painting studio, which can accommodate up to 18 students (and can be used for courses other than painting)
• Krehbiel Ceramics studio, which can accommodate up 12 students
• Print studio, with Etching, Lithography capacity, accommodates 12. (Screen printing is not available in the Winter Session.)
•  New Media Space, accommodates 12

Ox-Bow is also hosting online classes for the upcoming Winter session. If you have an idea best suited for online learning, please select "online" in the session category. These classes meet via Zoom everyday during a 2-week session. 

Art on the Meadow is a program that offers a variety of art-making experiences through short-term workshops for teens and adults on Ox-Bow’s campus. These community-driven workshops aim to provide an intergenerational, accessible space for artists to cultivate new work and ideas through experimentation and play within our rich, natural environment. Ideal workshops will engage participants of all experience levels, from novice to pro, and consider the specificities of Ox-Bow’s context.

Teaching artists from the West Michigan area are encouraged to submit proposals to teach workshops at Ox-Bow. Workshop instructors receive a teaching stipend and a budget for instructional materials. Please note that there is no additional travel stipend available for Art on the Meadow instructors at this time; however, if an instructor does not live locally, Ox-Bow will provide room and board during the duration of their workshop. 

Ox-Bow has facilities to offer workshops in painting, drawing, ceramics, papermaking and printmaking. We encourage proposals in a variety of disciplines, including: fiber, collage, craft, writing, poetry, watercolor, mixed media, and interdisciplinary areas. Please include the following in your proposal:

• Faculty name, email, phone number, website if applicable
• CV/Resume
• Workshop name
• Preferred workshop dates (June - October) 
• Length of workshop (half day; one day; multi-session)
• Brief description of core concepts and assignments (1-3 sentences) 
• Full workshop description (approximately 100 words)
• Budget/space/equipment information: Note that Ox-Bow has limited technological resources; please submit a list of equipment and materials needed for your workshop
• Not required but recommended—documentation of faculty and student work, may be in the following formats: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf, jpg, gif, mp3, mp4, tiff, png, mov. If this is included, please note that the program will automatically alphabetize your files, so name them accordingly. Please provide a documentation list which indicates the artist (Self or Student), title, media, etc.

Questions? Contact Claire Arctander, Deputy Director, at carctander@ox-bow.org

Ox-Bow School of Art is pleased to announce the search for the Spring 2025 Student Ambassador. Ambassadorship is a multi-year appointment ideal for a student who has already taken a class at Ox-Bow and is eager to re-join the community, as they may spend part of their summer for multiple years at Ox-Bow. Students will be selected to represent Ox-Bow to the SAIC student body via presentations, class visits, tabling sessions, and other extracurricular events totaling 4 - 6 hours per week starting January 24, 2025.

Working directly with Ox-Bow's Academic Program Director, Maddie Reyna, Ambassadors will receive hands-on experience in arts administration and scholarship of up to $5000 toward any Ox-Bow summer class while they serve as Ambassadors. In addition to the summer scholarship, the ambassador will receive a spot in the highly-competitive three-week Summer-Artists-in-Residency program at Ox-Bow, the summer after they graduate. 

Applications will close Tuesday, January 14 at 10:59 p.m. CT.

Ambassadors should:

• be undergraduates or undergraduates currently enrolled at SAIC with a graduation date of fall 2025 or later
• be available for in-person support on Fridays during the spring semester from 11 a.m.–1 p.m. CT

If you have questions, please reach out to Maddie Reyna at mreyna@ox-bow.org.

All artists interested in taking summer classes at Ox-Bow are encouraged to apply for the Merit Scholarship. The Merit Scholarship awards are generally partial and can be applied to tuition and/or room & board fees. These scholarships are juried awards based on application content and questions. We offer a variety of scholarships for students taking credit or non-credit classes to ensure that the Ox-Bow experience is open to everyone.

Ox-Bow’s fully-funded Summer Artist-in-Residence Program offers 12 artists the time, space, and community to encourage growth and experimentation in their practice for three weeks on campus. The Summer Residencies are held while our core classes and community programs are in session. During this time, a small group of residents have access to Ox-Bow’s artist community of students, faculty, and visiting artists.

This residency is ideal for visual artists who can creatively sustain in a small studio with table, chair, access to a sink, and less than reliable wifi. Residents are required to bring their own materials and tools. Any artist who would require a media facility, including the ceramics, metals, printmaking, or glass studio may not be a good fit for this program as the classroom studios are prioritized for students enrolled in classes. Residents cannot expect reliable access to any of our classroom studios.

Our Summer Residencies are open to artists at any level. Currently enrolled students, MFA candidates, arts faculty, emerging, or established artists are encouraged to apply. There are generally three residents on campus at a time. The dates available are;

• June 1–21
• June 22–July 12
• July 21–August 9
• August 10–30

Residency Recipients receive:

• Private Studio (raw studio space; classroom studios not available)
• Private room (shared bathrooms and showers)
• 3 meals a day
• A studio visit from the visiting artist each week they are at Ox-Bow
• Access to evening artist lectures
• Opportunities to share work through slide presentations, readings, etc.
• The opportunity to audit one Art on the Meadow workshop (our Saturday 3-hour, outdoor, craft workshops. This is not the same as the 1- and 2-week workshops hosted in the studios.)

The Visiting Artist Program at Ox-Bow is designed with the residents in mind. As a resident, you will receive a studio visit with a new visiting artist each week. For this reason, writers and non-visual artists are encouraged to consider the impact these artists may have on their Ox-Bow experience and practice to ensure this opportunity is right for them. In 2025 the Summer Visiting Artist Program includes;

• Tammie Rubin
• Cathy Lu
• Natalia Arbalaez
• Edie Fake
• Patricia Peco
• Santiago Galeas
• Macon Reed
• Lisa Williamson
• Reginald Pointer
• Emma Safir
• LouLou Hou

Each summer, Ox-Bow offers fellowship students from competitive schools all over the nation a fully funded opportunity to focus on their work, meet with renowned artists, and grow as members of this unique community. The Fellows live on campus for 13 weeks from May 29 - September 1, where in addition to providing support labor to an arts non-profit will participate in all areas of campus life. By working closely with staff, fellows develop relationships with others who have also made art-making their lives.

Fellowship students are selected on the merit of their work and on their commitment to making inspired and innovative art. The fellowship program is a once in a lifetime opportunity to participate within an engaging artist-run community.

Fellowship recipients receive:

• A studio space with 24 hour access
• Stipend for research and related labor on campus
• Free housing and meals
• Weekly studio visits with visiting artists
• Opportunity to exhibit their work
• The opportunity to TA an Ox-Bow class.
• The opportunity to audit one Art on the Meadow workshop (our Saturday 3-hour, outdoor, craft workshops. This is not the same as the 1- and 2-week workshops hosted in the studios.)

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be undergraduate students in the junior/senior year or MFA students
• Have a graduation date of December 2024 or later
• Be at least 21 years old at the start of the fellowship
• Have the ability to work in the United States or have a work visa

The Visiting Artist Program at Ox-Bow is designed with the Fellows in mind. As a Fellow, you will receive a studio visit with a new visiting artist each week. Applicants are encouraged to get to know the visiting artists. In 2025 the Summer Visiting Artist Program includes;

• Tammie Rubin
• Cathy Lu
• Natalia Arbalaez
• Edie Fake
• Patricia Peco
• Santiago Galeas
• Macon Reed
• Lisa Williamson
• Reginald Pointer
• Emma Safir
• LouLou Hou