The Dock, Lagoon, and Fire Pit
The Ox-Bow lagoon provides a beautiful backdrop to campus life. Every summer, students and staff gather on the dock and cool off in the lagoon after long days at work in the studio. The lagoon provides ample inspiration for plein air painters, as it overlooks the dunes to the west toward Lake Michigan.
Situated on the edge of the lagoon, the firepit often burns into the early hours of the morning. It is a special place for intimate conversations about art, politics, and life, and the only spot on campus where smoking or open flames are allowed (outside of the studios).
Each year, staff and Fellows spend an afternoon at the start of the summer “launching” the floating dock. This entails canoeing out to anchor the dock in the middle of the lagoon, where it floats all summer.
Click here to find out more about our lagoon friend Sampson the Snapping turtle.
Ox-Bow catalog cover
1944
Winter Ecology Video with Dr. DJ
Dr. Dianne Jedlicka has been given the code name “Dr. DJ” after her 22 years of teaching at Ox-Bow. She has developed two courses over that time that respond directly to the ecology of the Ox-Bow landscape: “Winter Ecology” and “Bird Biology.” In this video, you can get a glimpse of what Dianne teaches in her courses. She talks a little bit about the creatures that live in our eastern temperate deciduous forest, looks at animal and plant adaptations for the winter, tells us why she thinks the pileated woodpecker has returned, and even answers our turtle question, “Where does Samson go in the winter?”
