THEN & NOW: Intergenerational Art-Making Through the Years

Ox-Bow has played host to a variety of imaginations, the most receptive of them? Kids. Over the years, the children of professors, staff, guests, and neighbors of Ox-Bow have delighted in the wonders of the meadow, lagoon, studios, and trails. More than anyone else, these kids understand the magic of Ox. written by Shanley Poole

THEN:

Family Camp began as a place where artists and their families could gather together at Ox-Bow and make art.

Created by Patricia Pelletier and Phil Hanson (the Academic Director at the time), the tradition lasted for over 10 years from the late 80’s to the early 2000’s. The one week class usually took place at the start or end of the summer season. In the morning, adults would attend class, while James Brandess led a session for the kiddos. Afternoons were reserved for family time: hiking, canoeing, or trips to the beach. Each day ended with an evening of intergenerational artmaking. Often hosted in the paint studio, group work usually focused on the creation of masks and costumes. Culminating annually into a Friday performance and parade, everyone would don their work on the meadow at the week’s end.

Artists and families included Karl and Lori Wirsum, Bobbi and Steve Meier, Richard and Cathy Pearlman, Rodney and Renee Carswell, Paul Solomon, Nancy and Tom Melvin, E.W. Ross, Gretchen Brown and Peter Kuttner, Carol Neiger, Ginny Sykes, George Liebert, and Blair Thomas. A variety of disciplines were represented amongst the artists present including muralists, performance artists, photographers, ceramicists, painters, and filmmakers. President of Ox-Bow’s Board and former Family Camp attendee, Steve Meier reflected, “Many of our children ended up in creative fields, I would credit [this] somewhat to this experience – seeing artists work with their children among such a diverse group of creative people was a truly unique experience.”

NOW:

For many Michiganders, summertime means beach days or trips Up North, but for artist and educator Kim Meyers Baas it means the annual Ox-Bow getaway. Baas first came to Ox-Bow as a graduate student from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she received her Masters of Art in Art Education. After graduating, she returned to Ox-Bow several times to take more courses. In the mid 2000’s the student became the teacher with a proposal to bring youth workshops to Ox-Bow.

Baas didn’t view the idea as revolutionary; in fact, it seemed all too natural. Kim noted, “There’s always been kids [at Ox-Bow]... it’s a kid’s dream!” The concept for youth workshops took inspiration from her mentor, the late E.W. Ross, a loyal member of the legendary Family Camps.

Over the years, Baas has created spaces for young artists throughout West Michigan, most recently creating a canvas quilt portrait of Patrick Lyoya in collaboration with students of East Kentwood High School. Lyoya was a Congolese refugee who was killed by a police officer in 2022; his death deeply grieved the community, especially impacting a number of Baas’s students who, like Lyoya, are also Congolese. Baas, alongside a number of students and a few other teachers, painted “Through the Veil,” which was then featured at the 2022 Art Prize Festival. “I feel like I’m part artist, part community organizer,” Baas said when reflecting on her work. “Amplifying voices is my true practice.”

After taking a pandemic pause from Art on the Meadow workshops, Baas returned to OxBow with a new plan of action in 2022: family workshops. The intergenerational aspect of Family Camp had long enticed Baas. In this new format, Baas facilitates various “ah-ha” moments with kids, while simultaneously encouraging parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles to work collaboratively with their young artists.

Over the course of the four workshops, participants explore ceramics, cyanotypes, and watercolor. Each workshop coincides with a natural theme: earth, sun, and water. The workshops’ environmental lens is very much intentional. Baas describes nature as a key part of “the Ox-Bow factor.”

In 2023, Baas looks forward to bringing back family workshops. She plans to continue exploring art and the elements and is eager to introduce more families to the meadow. Returners might also notice a new addition to this year’s family series, entitled Seek, which Baas hinted will include a campus-wide treasure hunt. By popular demand, the Water workshop will be held twice this summer.

KIM MEYERS BAAS (she/her) is an arts educator who has worked in public and private settings in Michigan, Chicago, and on the Mexican/Texas border. Her teaching and art making practice focuses on exploring family identity, inequality, migration, cultural recognition, art and technology literacy, and media representation in marginalized communities.

Family Series

We invite families to participate in a unique creative experience and revel together in Ox-Bow’s natural environment through exciting art explorations. Families will collaborate in the creative process, using materials like clay, cyanotype, and watercolor as a team and side-by-side. Stoke curiosity and build self-confidence through creative thinking and artmaking in the great outdoors.

EARTH: Family Pottery

DATES: Saturday, June 3, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

FACULTY: Kim Meyers Baas

TUITION COST: $120/family

Families will explore handbuilding techniques, underglazing, and other basic ceramics skills to create clay pieces based on our resident animal wildlife and Ox-Bow folklore. This workshop is the perfect fit for the family of artists who want to get messy and investigate the ceramic medium. Work will be kiln-fired at Ox-Bow, and participants will be responsible for picking up their work at a later, agreed upon date.

SUN: Summer Solstice

DATES: Saturday, June 17, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

FACULTY: Kim Meyers Baas

TUITION COST: $120/family

Celebrate the longest day of the year – Summer Solstice. Capturing the light and shadows of the season, families will create artworks powered by the sun using cyanotype and other photographic and printmaking processes. Practice the creative process by observing, questioning, and basking in the sun.

WATER: Views of Ox-Bow

DATES: Saturday, July 1 & July 29, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

FACULTY: Kim Meyers Baas

TUITION COST: $120/family

Ox-Bow’s campus provides hundreds of beautiful views for painting the landscape. Families will explore views of the lagoon, meadow, and woods while painting en plein air with watercolor. Experiment with techniques such as washes, color mixing, mark making, and creating textures inspired by the natural environment. Please note this workshop is offered on two separate dates. Registration only includes one session.

SEEK: Treasure Hunt

DATES: Saturday, July 15, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

FACULTY: Kim Meyers Baas

TUITION COST: $120/family

Prepare for an active day exploring Ox-Bow’s campus. This interactive hunt will have families collecting artifacts and documenting treasures while visiting the art studios and unique locations of Ox-Bow. Develop map-reading skills, use compasses, and discover how artists develop a deeper connection to the natural world around them.

Family Recipe Books

DATES: FOUR DAYS

Tuesday–Friday, August 8–11, 10 a.m.–1 p.m.

FACULTY: Grace Gittelman

TUITION COST: $225/family

Come create a small family cookbook in a week. Grace Gittelman, a ceramicist who focuses on their familial relationship with food in their artwork, will lead a workshop encouraging children, parents and chosen loved ones alike to record their families’ recipes in a collage-based book. Each family will be provided with a bound journal in which they will record measurements of ingredients, snippets of family history, and instructions on how to cook food. Come with collage elements and a desire to connect deeply over the intergenerational documentation of cherished recipes!

NOTE : Family workshops are open to participants ages 5 and up with at least one adult enrollee per family; maximum of four family members per enrollment slot. This is a full participation experience that allows family members of different generations to bond, learn, and experience the magic of Ox-Bow. Kid-friendly boxed lunches are included in the cost of tuition, and will be served at 1 p.m. All materials are provided for Family workshops. If you are interested in coming to make art with your family of more than four people, contact Claire Arctander, Campus Director at carctander@ox-bow.org.