Weavings of weavings, explorations in the archive, and glass magic. Three Summer Fellows share a glimpse of their thirteen weeks at Ox-Bow.
Dominique Muñoz
Over the summer of 2024, Dominique Muñoz seemed to be documenting everything everywhere all at once. As the Photography and Communications Fellow, Muñoz captured all the action, from artists' lectures to exhibitions openings. When he wasn’t snapping and editing photos, Muñoz spent many an hour in the studio working on a somewhat meta project: weavings of digitized weavings. The scans were taken of woven blankets, many of which were family heirlooms and after printing these scans, he’d cut them into strips, weave them together, scan them again, and repeat the process. These eventually became a part of Muñoz’s contribution to the group Fellow Exhibition at Ox-Bow House.
An installation of Dominique Muñoz’s glass, cyanotype, and weaving work at the 2024 Fellows Exhibition. Photo by Dominique Muñoz.
Morisha Moodley
Archivist Fellow, Morisha Moodley spent the summer digitizing our collection of catalogs dating back to the early 1900’s. They were particularly inspired by the representation of women that stretched back to Ox-Bow’s foundation. “I was first impressed by the amount of women artists that were teaching courses, leading on administration, managing the Old Inn, and being part of the board,” they said, adding: “It’s one thing to know that women were students at Ox-Bow, which a previous exhibition had looked into. But to know that they also had a hand in shaping the atmosphere, the education opportunities, and the overall direction of the School was also incredible.”
The Sum of One Month in Good Health by Morisha Moodley, Acetate Prints, Steel, Magnets. Photo by Dominique Muñoz.
A Brief Q&A with Glass Fellow, Mackenzie Serwa
SP: Describe one of your favorite memories on campus?
MS: One of my favorite memories on campus is playing board games in the Old Inn. A handful of fellows and staff being able to come together at the end of the night once the sun set and a late night calm settled over campus always felt like such a treasured moment of connectivity. (Even if the friendly competition sometimes broke that calm).
SP: What was your experience like working in Ox-Bow's glass studio?
MS: Working in the Ox-Bow glass studio always felt like a dream. The open air studio overlooking the lagoon created such an incredible backdrop to making that it made it easy to want to be in the studio all the time. The energy of the studio was only strengthened by the team that allows the studio to operate. For all of the spaces I’ve been privileged enough to work in and experience, Ox-Bow sets a very high bar.
SP: What did your personal studio time/artistic practice look like over the summer?
MS: I thought I had a fairly good idea of the type of work I wanted to focus on over the summer, but upon arriving at Ox-Bow I was blown away by the community and campus. The work I was making quickly shifted to begin to reflect the environment around me, both physically and emotionally.
From the Meadow by Mackenzie Serwa, glass and mixed media, shown in the 2024 Fellows Exhibition. Photo by Dominique Muñoz.
I often work around the idea of collection and, within that, everyday objects that hold sentimentality. In my studio I was collecting natural materials and finding ways to incorporate glass that felt like an extension of the object’s presence. Simultaneously, I was experimenting with color in the hot shop, blowing cylinders to then slump into sheet glass that I cut apart to use as components of a larger ‘quilt’ that has become a larger reflective project highlighting places of comfort.
Taking inspiration from everything at Ox-Bow made it easy to develop a practice that felt active and exciting even outside of the studio.
This article was written by Shanley Poole, Engagement Liaison & Storyteller, based on interviews conducted in 2024. Banner image by Dominique Muñoz features a close up of Mackenzie Serwa’s work.