Spooky Trails & Haunted Cabins

from 2023 Experience Ox-Bow

by Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists' Residency

Wild

In 2022, Ox-Bow once again invited all the local ghosts and ghouls to campus. Nine artists, Creeps-in-Residence, put their wicked minds together to create a weekend-long celebration of everything frightful. Their spectacularly spooky installations haunted our cabins, hiking trails, and brought back the Dark Carnival from the dead. Guests that attended left with bellies full of garlic fries (to keep the vampires away) as well as fodder to fuel nightmares for weeks to come!

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN:

It probably comes as no surprise that us artists in the woods treasure Halloween; Ox-Bow has always relished ghost stories around the fire, and it’s no secret that we love a good excuse to wear a costume. In 2019, Ox-Bow decided to take its spooky celebrations even more seriously. Former Campus Manager, Mac Akin, proposed transforming a historic cabin into a haunted experience available to the public. After a spine-chilling success, the experience was brought back in 2020 as a Spooky Trail. Over the years, the tradition has grown and each year the festivities grow grander than the last! In 2023, we look forward to continuing the tradition with a new cohort of Creeps and local horror enthusiasts.

CREEPS-IN-RESIDENCE

MEET SHERELL CHILLIK

During her residency, Sherell Chillik chose to break from her traditional practice. Now based in Flint, Michigan, Chillik initially grew up in Detroit. She described how these urban environments usually shape her work, “Everything is very concrete, textured, noisy.” While at Ox-Bow, Chillik immersed herself in the natural environment of the Crow’s Nest Trail and dove into infamous folklore. This ultimately inspired her installation “Weeping Lady,” which haunted guests willing to brave the Spooky Trail.

MEET MADIGAN BURKE (AND HARVEY!)

Artist Madigan Burke invited guests to bring their own fears to life by letting their friend Harvey take the stage of a puppet booth. In exchange for some sweet treats, guests could attempt to give Harvey a fright with a scary story. Over the course of the weekend, Harvey heard a variety of stories from local legends to the realities of climate change, the latter of which Harvey deemed truly terrifying.