Summer Courses

At Ox-Bow, learning unfolds like the landscape—ideas meet making, and the boundaries between concept and craft blur into something unique. Here, curiosity sparks experimentation, and play becomes an essential part of the creative process. Students and faculty, artists at all stages of their practice, live and learn together, sharing the same table, the same questions, and a collective sense of purpose. This collaborative environment fosters a space where learning is rooted in community, and where creative praxis is not just about acquiring skills but also about deepening one's artistic journey. It’s a place for those who seek growth and renewal, who view their practice as a lifelong exploration. At Ox-Bow, education is a dynamic exchange that encourages reflection, discovery, and the unfolding of new possibilities—welcoming all who wish to explore their potential and contribute to a shared artistic vision.

Every session of the summer, Ox-Bow welcomes about forty students, 10 faculty, 1 visiting artist, 12 Fellows, 3 residents, and twenty-five staff members to live and learn in our historic creative community along a lagoon on Lake Michigan. Participants engage our classroom studios, including the Burke Glass Studio, Clute Papermaking Studio, Haas Painting & Drawing Studio, Krehbiel Ceramics Studio, Padnos Metals Studio, and Thiele Print Studio. 

Our courses are intensive, they meet every day during the session from 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ET for 1- or 2-weeks and all courses are open to artists over 18, of any experience level. Courses can have an exploratory, skill-building, or communal focus, and feature topics that merge craft and concept. Each studio (except the glassblowing studio) is open 24 hours per day. Taking advantage of the unique learning landscape at Ox-Bow, faculty often build hiking, canoeing, beach days, and other outdoor field trips into their syllabus.

In addition to the classroom experience, participants enjoy a robust creative culture outside of class time. Extra-curricular events include nightly artist talks, volleyball tournaments, bonfires, screenings, performances, openings in our Betsy Gallery, Friday Night Costume parties, and other creative activations. 

Use the button below to view all of Ox-Bow’s summer course offerings.

Course Description Key

Exploratory - This course may feature a loose structure where students co-guide the topics being discussed. Like a seminar or independent study class, the faculty will support students in completing projects of their own design.

Skill-building - This course will focus on a specific topic or goal, is not likely to organically evolve into additional projects, and students will leave with new and improved specific skills they can use in the future.

Communal - This course encourages collaboration and will likely culminate in a group presentation, performance, or other event. Students in this class will enhance their skills in working together for a common goal.

Registration, Scholarships, and Tuition

2026 Course catalog

Cover art by Nolan Zunk, Summer Fellow 2025