Ragdale Foundation

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Lake Forest, IL
Ragdale Foundation

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

06/04/2026

Get your tickets for Family Day on Sunday, June 21 at the link in our bio. There’ll be performances from Well-Balanced Dads comedy duo (’s and ), dance premiere of Circle of Apathy by , and live music by Family Junket (), picnicking on campus is permitted, and touring Ragdale grounds is encouraged! We can’t wait to see you there. (Photo by Chloe Hamilton)

06/03/2026

We’re delighted to invite you to Ragdale Family Day on June 21 (a great way to celebrate Father’s Day), where you can enjoy facepainting and arts & crafts, as well as special appearances from the Well-Balanced Dads comedy group (’s and ), Circle of Apathy by House of DOV, and Family Junket. Picnicking will be permitted along the prairie and you’ll be able to tour the Ragdale grounds while you’re visiting. We hope to see you on campus between 12:30 to 4:30 to take part in the festivities—tickets are at the link in our bio! (Photos by )

06/01/2026

Last week, we welcomed on our campus as they began construction on this year’s Ragdale Ring called “Front of House,” which will host live performances and a space to engage with artists and friends this summer. These events are a contemporary extension of the welcome the Shaw family extended to artists and friends on this site since 1897, and present-day guests become active participants in the continuous legacy of creative encounters at Ragdale. Gluten is hard at work now, so stay tuned for more photos this week as they finish up! These wonderful photos of the art and artists are by .

05/30/2026

:Looking for a short residency this summer? Ragdale's Creative Sabbaticals are now open for July 7–10, 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.

05/25/2026

One of the greatest joys of last weekend’s 50th Anniversary Jubilee was celebrating alongside an extraordinary group of authors whose work continues to move, challenge, and inspire us. Writers have been at the heart of Ragdale since we first began welcoming residents five decades ago — and their presence at this milestone evening felt as meaningful as ever. Their presence made the evening truly unforgettable — and their books make for the perfect summer reading list. As we celebrate the start of summer, consider adding one (or all!) to your stack We are so grateful to the generous, kind, and brilliant writers who joined us for this special night: -helenebertino, , Sonali Dev, .schmich, , , , , , , , , Naeem Murr, , , , m.s. RedCherries, , , and .

05/22/2026

A stunning intervention by Chicago-based artist .space, installed especially for Ragdale’s 50th Anniversary Jubilee — seen here in conversation with the historic lambs sculpture by Sylvia Shaw Judson, mother of Alice Ryerson Hayes, the visionary founder of Ragdale. Two artists, two generations, one extraordinary place.

05/20/2026

We are thrilled to see Ragdale alum and Chicago-based dancer and choreographer Nejla Yatkin featured on the cover of Forest & Bluff Magazine! 🎉 As we celebrate our 50th Anniversary year, moments like this remind us of the extraordinary talent that has called Ragdale home — and the lasting impact our artists continue to make in the world.

A 2023 Fellow in choreography and a 2022 recipient of the Fellowship at Ragdale,Yatkin is a globally acclaimed dance maker whose emotionally evocative and intellectually compelling work has been hailed as “magical” by The New York Times.

A heartfelt thank you to Forest & Bluff Magazine for featuring Nejla on their cover, and for including a story and interview with our Executive Director in this issue. We are deeply grateful for your support of Ragdale and the artists we serve.Link in bio to see the full article.

05/15/2026

We’re thrilled for our 50th anniversary Jubilee happening this weekend and including artists and writers -helenebertino, , Sonali Dev, .schmich, , , , , , , , , Naeem Murr, , , , m.s. RedCherries, , , and , and featuring .space, , , and . If you aren’t able to attend but want to support our mission, feel free to head to the link in our bio to make a donation.

05/13/2026

Artists of all disciplines: If you’ve put off applying for a 2027 residency, the deadline is May 14th, so make sure to get your application in TOMORROW by 11:59pm Central (that’s an hour behind Eastern, two hours ahead of Pacific). Further details and application at the link in our bio.

Address

1260 North Green Bay Road
Lake Forest, IL
60045

Website

http://www.ragdale.org/

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