Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists' Residency

Saugatuck, MI

Located in Saugatuck, MI, Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists' Residency (Ox-Bow) is situated on 110 acres of wooded sand dunes overlooking the Kalamazoo River, just a short canoe trip from Lake Michigan. Ox-Bow  is committed to fostering artistic exploration, creative expression, and community engagement, while promoting sustainability across its programming. Satellite site, Ox-Bow House, located in downtown Douglas, Michigan, serves as a public programming space, gallery, and retail store. 

Located in a historic 1870s building, Ox-Bow House serves as a vibrant arts hub for the community, blending art exhibitions, public programming, and education. The building has a long legacy as a gathering place—first a church, then an athletic hall, later a library—before its transformation into an arts and cultural hub. With a mission to preserve both artistic and environmental legacies, Ox-Bow strives to integrate sustainability into its operations, promoting innovative approaches to reuse and energy efficiency. 

Ox-Bow seeks to conduct an energy assessment of Ox-Bow House to guide energy efficient creative reuse and renovations of the site. Funding from FCI would support an ASHRAE Level I or II energy audit and assessment and subsequent report and guidance. The project intends to assess the current state of energy consumption and emissions at Ox-Bow House and provide recommendations for how to best reduce emissions while preserving the building’s historic integrity and creating an environmentally responsible, future-facing arts space.

Milestones

• Conduct an ASHRAE Level I or II energy audit to assess the current energy consumption and emissions

• Identify energy inefficiencies and actionable recommendations

• Ensure a forward-thinking and environmentally responsible future