OX-NEWS
the street to its current location, paving the way for a new chapter in the historic space. Ox-Bow House will feature a retail and gallery space, administrative offices, and our rich archival collection. Our neighbors will include the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Center, the library in its new location, a variety of cafes and restaurants, and, of course, a number of art galleries. In joining Center Street, we hope to participate in some of the town’s long standing traditions, develop deeper connections with our neighbors, and add to the artistic legacy of downtown Douglas. We look forward to seeing you at Ox-Bow House.
ART ON CENTER
Throughout the years, Saugatuck and Douglas have lived up to their reputation as the “The Art Coast of Michigan.” Center Street in particular hosts a variety of art galleries including Water Street, LebenArt, Palette, Mixed Media, Mr. Miller’s Art Emporium, and the Button Gallery. These galleries are known not only for their own independent histories, but also for a longstanding legacy of camaraderie. Nothing demonstrates this more than the Annual Fall Gallery Stroll, which will celebrate its 45th anniversary this October. The collaborative event is known to feature over 20 galleries and a variety of artists. Every year it attracts both art appreciators and collectors from across the region. In years past, Center Street’s Beery Park also occasionally hosted the annual Clotheslines Art Show. The event featured local artists from the Saugatuck Douglas Art Club (SDAC) and sales supported art scholarships at Saugatuck Public Schools. According to the SDAC, this tradition lasted over 70 years! As a nod to this long running tradition, OxBow looks forward to bringing more art to the streets (and maybe even clotheslines) of Douglas. Much thanks to the SaugatuckDouglas Library and the SaugatuckDouglas Historical Center for sharing their archives, insights, photographs, and stories with us.
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WELCOME TO OX-BOW HOUSE Ox-Bow House is a pilot project by Ox-Bow School of Art, a 112year old, independent summer art school that has been welcoming artists from around the nation and beyond to West Michigan since its founding in 1910. Ox-Bow’s classes, workshops, residencies, and public programs are developed in-house by a professional staff of artists, curators, and educators. With a vibrant community of nationally and internationally respected artists on their campus each year, Ox-Bow House seeks to extend this resource to the public through a diverse menu of programs throughout the year. The name Ox-Bow House acknowledges the legacy of this historic building as a place for community and celebrates the idea
that our house will be a charming place to stimulate learning and exploration. This accessible location will be a welcoming space for our community neighbors in western Michigan as well as summer visitors to Douglas and Saugatuck. We are planning a comfortable environment where guests can partake in refreshments while digging deep into meaningful and open conversations over the arts. “We are thrilled about joining the Center Street community in Douglas this summer with our newest initiative, Ox-Bow House,” Steve Meier, Board President says, “our extension here will help cultivate deeper connections between our artists and art-lovers through a range of opportunities to connect, converse, learn and
Laurel Sparks, Sol, 2021, poured gesso, waterbased paint, ash, paper pulp, glitter, collage, pipe cleaner, woven canvas strips, 24 x 24 inches
