Ox-Bow Summer Fellowship

What changes occur in your practice when you create, think deeply, and experiment alongside a community of artists rooted in over a century of creative gatherings?

The Ox-Bow Summer Fellowship offers thirteen weeks to slow down and deepen your practice within a creative community. Fellows play a central role in how the campus operates—contributing time and skills to kitchens, studios, grounds, and administrative tasks in Ox-Bow’s live, work, and create model. While remaining at the core of campus life, a rotating group of students, visiting artists, and faculty bring fresh perspectives and conversations every week. Together, they form a rare, vibrant artistic community.

We believe artists at every stage of their journey should learn together. When hierarchies dissolve and everyone is equally committed to their work, mentorship flows in all directions across disciplines, experience levels, and generations. With conversations happening beyond the studios the sharing of knowledge, research, and material exploration, creates and exchange, and truly transforms a practice.

Often, long after leaving campus, artists realize how the work made during the fellowship has developed in unexpected ways. Beyond Ox-Bow, alumni continue discovering collaborators, mentors, and friends who influence their practice long after summer ends. Fellows become part of something larger—a lineage of artists who have gathered on this historic campus, each leaving their mark and shaping the community at Ox-Bow and beyond. 

2027 Fellowship Cycle

Applications open October 1, 2026 and close January 3, 2027
Program runs June 3 - August 28, 2027

Scroll down to see more details about the program, what is new in 2027, who is eligible, and FAQs. But first, hear what others have to say about the fellowship program with a video made by 2025 Summer Fellow, Nolan Zunk.

What is new in 2027

The Fellowship will expand to welcome more artists and new pathways into the Ox-Bow experience. The program will grow to 18 fellows and broaden eligibility beyond traditional academic backgrounds to include artists with equivalent professional experience. New opportunities for peer mentorship, professional development, exhibitions, and campus stewardship will reflect Ox-Bow’s longstanding tradition: fostering a community where artists at all levels make, learn, and grow together.

Who should apply

The Fellowship is open to senior BFA students, MFA students, postgraduates, and artists with comparable professional experience. We seek artists committed to their practice, prepared for intensive studio work, and eager to join a collaborative creative community. We evaluate applications based on the strength of your practice and your readiness for this unique experience.

After successfully completing one Fellowship summer, alumni may reapply for a second summer. In 2027, Fellowship alumni from the 2024 and 2025 cohorts are welcome to apply during this application cycle.


HOW TO APPLY

Applications open October 1, 2026 and will close January 3, 2027. Applicants are evaluated based on the strength of their portfolio, their readiness for the program, and an interview with Ox-Bow leadership.


“There are 50 to 100 artists at any given time, and you have a chance to sit and have a meal with them day after day. You get to meet so many people and have the most interesting conversations. Talking about art and seeing how different artists think [is a] beautiful thing outside of the classroom that you could really only experience in an immersive setting like this.”
— Emily Hawkins, 2025 Fellow

2026 Fellow, Bailey Scieszka in the studio. photo by Mak Smith

On campus participants and staff viewing work in The Betsy gallery. photo by Dominique Muñoz, 2024 Summer Fellow

WHAT Fellows RECEIVE

  • Private studio and room on campus

  • All meals prepared by Ox-Bow's culinary team

  • A $300 weekly stipend

  • 24-hour studio access

  • Regular studio visits and critiques with visiting artists

  • Teaching assistant opportunities

  • Summer exhibition opportunities (on-campus at the Betsy Gallery, off-campus at Ox-Bow House)

  • Opportunities to create on-campus programs and engage with art collectors, patrons, and the broader Saugatuck/Douglas community during public events on campus

  • Mentorship pairing with another fellow (new 2027)

  • Week-long professional practices intensive (new 2027)

  • Group exhibition at a partner gallery in Chicago or Detroit the following year (through September through May) (new 2027)

  • Campus Beautification Project  (new 2027)

“It was my first time ever actually being exposed to craft and I just kind of stumbled into the glass studio, and now three years later, glass is like a central part of my practice. … Being here is where [it] all started - being inspired and challenged by the environment, it just shaped my practice as a whole.”
— Ian Solomon, 2023 Fellow, Crafting the Future Outdoor Lead

Hello, World!

 

WHAT Fellows CONTRIBUTE

Fellows contribute 20 hours per week to Ox-Bow's operations—working in the kitchen, studios, grounds, archives, and across communications and events. As part of Ox-Bow's live-work model, it’s how fellows become integrated into daily life here, learn the labor behind a creative community, and gain practical experience managing an historic, artist-led organization. Fellows much like staff are expected to adhere to Ox-Bow’s values of hospitality, brave conversations, and a good neighbor philosophy. Fellows select their preferred area of interest when applying, and assignments are made based on their skills and interests.

Fields of Study Descriptions

 
When I came here as a fellow, it was one of the first times I felt like I was really working in a community to care for this place and for each other. That was so inspiring, and I think set the groundwork for the shape of my life.”
— Virginia Torrence, 2012 Fellow, Faculty

Group photos of Fellowship Cohorts from 2023-2026. Each photo was taking by a Photo & Communications Fellow, Ian Solomon (2023), Dominique Muñoz (2024), Nolan Zunk (2025), and Mak Smith (2026).

“Ox-Bow feels more real than reality, and that’s why it’s magical. My life in Chicago is fast-paced and I feel detached from my mode of living. Ox-Bow has always felt more grounded.
— Winnie Szu, 2026 Fellow 

MORE INFORMATION

For more details see our FAQs. To learn more about Ox-Bow's historic campus and environment, visit The Campus. For questions, reach out to the Ox-Bow programming team at oxbow@ox-bow.org