Ragdale Foundation

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Ragdale is a nonprofit artists’ community located on the former country estate of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw.

10/14/2026

For the past 50 years, Ragdale has welcomed nearly 6,000 artists. Writers, composers, visual artists and more have come here to make work in the home, and on the site, that Howard Van Doren Shaw built as his family’s summer retreat in 1897. The painted trim, patterned walls and worn floorboards are still here because people have chosen to care for them.

This weekend, October 16–18, we’re continuing to mark our 50th anniversary with the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation, which is celebrating its own half-century, by co-producing the Lake Forest Preservation Symposium. Lectures, panel discussions, and tours exploring why preservation matters and how it shapes our experience of place- now and into the future.
For details: link in bio.

📷 Rich Cahan
LF Preservation Foundation

10/07/2026

Congratulations to Ragdale alum Amanda Rizkalla, whose debut novel Hungered has been named Oprah’s 125th Book Club pick.

Hungered is told through the eyes of 12-year-old Sofia, who is trying to understand her world, and her place in it, while living out of her mother’s car. Oprah calls it a novel that “compassionately tackles the difficult subject of families who live outside the margins, living unhoused, and makes us see not only their struggles, but their hopes, dreams, and the perseverance it takes to face another day.”

Amanda was in residence at Ragdale in October 2024. She is a recent Steinbeck Fellow and Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellow, and she has also been a writer-in-residence at Hedgebrook and Djerassi. She graduated from Stanford and earned her MFA at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she was a Kemper Knapp Fellow.

09/30/2026

Join Ragdale Executive Director Paul Sacaridiz for an evening of candid conversation with four of Ragdale’s current artists-in-residence, Katy Didden (Katy Didden), Pramila Vasudevan (Pramila Vasudevan), Elliot Menard (elliot menard), and Nicolei Gupit (Nicolei Buendia Gupit), as they discuss the inspirations, challenges, and discoveries that shape their practices. Together, they will explore what lies behind the scenes of their creative work.
Arrive early to visit Alice’s Gift of Ragdale, an exhibition presented by the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff in conjunction with Ragdale’s 50th anniversary, celebrating the founding vision and enduring legacy of Alice Judson Ryerson Hayes.
Tuesday, October 13
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
at the History Center of Lake Forest-Lake Bluff
Register today for this free event — link in bio.

09/29/2026

Views from an early morning walk through the Ragdale Gardens. We welcomed a wonderful new group of artists in residence to the campus yesterday, and are so delighted to share this place with them as they focus on their work.

09/19/2026

Ragdale alum Drew Lewis [] and House of DOV [House of DOV] have spent the summer on tour — and now they’re coming back to Chicago to present Circle of Apathy once more, this time at City Farm. For anyone that missed this piece at Ragdale, now is your chance to experience it.

House of DOV has been described as “fresh, fearless and honest… dangerous and exciting,” celebrating diversity of genre, body-type, race and gender, and striving to be a changemaker in the local dance conversation while engaging with global discourse through touring. Their Ragdale debut of Circle of Apathy this June was a “Dance Top 5” recommendation — thanks Newcity [Newcity Chicago]!

Circle of Apathy at City Farm
Saturday, September 26, 2026 at 6:00 PM
550 W Division Street, Chicago, IL
FREE

“Concert in the Park” style seating — bring a picnic blanket, a lawn chair, a snack, and a drink to share with your neighbor. City Farm will be vending produce, herbs, and flowers. Free street parking is available; restrooms available at the Target across the street.

Image: Barbara Freeman Photography

08/29/2026

Looking for a short residency this December? Ragdale’s Creative Sabbaticals are now open for December 1-4, 2026. Designed for artists, curators, designers, arts administrators, and other creatives, these shorter residencies are 4 days and 3 nights, open to all disciplines with applications reviewed on a rolling basis. We have streamlined the process to apply, and full details can be found by linking in our bio.

Ragdale’s Creative Sabbatical program was established to broaden access to the historic campus, offering individual creatives dedicated residency time outside of our juried sessions. Ideal for those seeking to re-engage with their work, venture into new creative territory, or step away from daily demands to reconnect with their practice, these four-day, three-night stays offer the focused time and supportive environment that Ragdale is known for.

Image courtesy former Ragdale resident, Chloe Benjamin

08/27/2026

Grammy Award–nominated Brazilian-American composer, pianist, and vocalist Clarice Assad () is one of the most widely performed and commissioned voices in contemporary music today. On Saturday, September 12th, Clarice Assad will bring her distinct collaborative and improvisation skills to the Ragdale Ring and create a singular experience.

"Ragdale is one of these rare, special havens where artists can find space, time, and community to do their most honest work. When people gather at Ragdale, they immediately sense the energy and the openness. For a musician like me, who works at the intersection of sound, technology, and human connection, that kind of openness is essential. I'm honored to bring Voxploration into that spirit." ~Clarice Assad

📷 Marcelo Macaue

08/20/2026

Ragdale is honored to be a recipient of a grant from the Graham Foundation () in support of the Ragdale Ring Design-Build Competition. Through the grant provided by the Graham Foundation, the competition’s winning designs “Front of House” by design studio Gluten and “Stage Prop” by Patrick Geske and Cody Miner are exhibited as a temporary performance venue in the tradition of Howard van Doren Shaw’s original Ragdale Ring. “Front of House” will be on display at our upcoming Ragdale Ring performances on August 22nd and September 12th.

08/12/2026

Indie folk pop musician Tasha () — a writer and musician born in Chicago, now based in New York — performs live at the next Ragdale Ring on Saturday, August 22nd, 6-8PM. She'll bring songs from her new album You Are Spring!, out on Bayonet Records, recorded and produced in L.A. with longtime collaborator Gregory Uhlmann. The album follows 2024's All This and So Much More and Tasha's run in the Tony-winning Broadway musical Illinoise.
Campus opens at 4PM for picnicking and garden tours. Full program and tickets — link in bio.

Image Credit: Josh Wulfahrt
Video Credit: Tasha - Clarion (Offical Video)

08/07/2026

At our August Ragdale Ring, Jamila Woods () — musician, poet, and multidisciplinary artist from the South Side of Chicago — joins Adrian Matejka (.matejka), editor-in-chief of Poetry magazine and author of seven books, for a featured dialogue on poetry, place, and music.

"It makes you wish all singers were poets." — Doreen St. Felix, on Jamila Woods' debut album “HEAVN”

Saturday, August 22nd, 6-8PM at Ragdale. Campus opens at 4PM for picnicking and self-guided garden tours. Full program and tickets — see link in bio.

Address

1260 North Green Bay Road
Lake Forest, IL
60045

Website

http://www.ragdale.org/

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