Now accepting applications for 2025 residencies. The deadline for all 2025 residencies is May 15, 2024, at 11:59 PM. Late applications cannot be accepted.
Ragdale is a non-profit artists’ community located on architect Howard Van Doren Shaw’s country estate in Lake Forest, IL, 30 miles north of Chicago. In 1976, Shaw’s granddaughter, Alice Judson Hayes, transformed her family’s summer home into an artist's retreat to provide time and space for artists to create important new work.
Today, Ragdale annually hosts nearly 140 visual artists, writers, dancemakers, composers, and interdisciplinary artists at all stages of their careers for 18-day residencies, making it one of the largest interdisciplinary artist communities in the country. Ragdale offers a retreat setting where at any given time, up to a dozen creative individuals experience uninterrupted time for dedicated work, a supportive environment, family-style dinners, and dynamic artist exchanges within a backdrop of 50 acres of idyllic prairie.
Complete this application if you wish to be considered for a residency in 2025.
Residency Awards, up to 140 awarded in 2025:
18-day residency session for individuals. Based on personal financial considerations, artists determine their own residency fee, and may opt to pay according to our suggested income-based sliding scale. No financial aid application is required. Admitted residents are responsible for their own travel.
Fellowships: We currently offer 12 fellowships each year. All qualified applicants may apply for fellowships. A fellowship award includes an 18-day fee-waived residency for individuals and a stipend of at least $1000 to participate in the Ragdale Youth Engagement educational outreach program. All applicants who apply for fellowships will be considered. Please note that applicants may be awarded a residency without a fellowship award. Fellowship awards are disclosed upon acceptance.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
11:59 PM CST May 15. Late applications cannot be accepted.
ELIGIBILITY
Ragdale encourages applications from artists representing the widest possible range of perspectives and demographics, and to that end, emerging as well as established artists are invited to apply. While there are no publication, exhibition or performance requirements for application, applicants should be working at the professional level in their fields. Ragdale encourages artists of all backgrounds to apply and does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of age, disability, gender, origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
GUIDELINES
All applicants submit electronic materials through the Submittable application portal. Do not email or mail any application materials. Please note the following requirements to complete your application:
A completed online application form includes:
- A one-page artist’s statement and work plan explaining your work and what you plan to do while in residence.
- A one or two-page CV or resume that summarizes your professional background.
- Work samples that show work from the past 2-3 years. All media is acceptable. Most electronic file types and sizes are accepted.
- If you would like to be considered for a fellowship, we require an eligibility statement of 500 words or less for each fellowship you would like to be considered for. An eligibility statement explains how you qualify for the selected fellowship and how a fellowship would support your work at this time.
- There is an application fee of $25. This amount covers the cost of application processing. Ragdale does not profit from application fees. If you are not in a position to cover the processing fee, please reach out to the Residency Manager, Deanna Miera at deanna@ragdale.org, to request a fee-waived application.
*PLEASE NOTE: Letters of Recommendation are no longer required or accepted.
EVALUATION
Applications are reviewed by Ragdale’s Curatorial Board and staff. Evaluations of work are based on the following criteria:
- Work samples: Documented works are original, inventive, and exciting.
- Work samples indicate relevance in their contemporary field.
- Work sample presentation: Work samples are high-quality and technically proficient in execution, and are professionally presented and documented.
- Artist’s experience: Artist statement and CV/Resume reflects continued development of ideas, serious inquiry into subject matter, and exceptional aesthetic investigation in the chosen medium.
- Work plan: Artist demonstrates they will maximize the benefits of a residency at Ragdale. What is the reason for seeking time and space in this particular residency program and is there a sense of urgency reflected in the goals described?
NOTIFICATION
Applicants are notified of admission status via email in September.
COLLABORATIONS
Artists collaborating on a project must submit individual application forms and appropriate work samples, along with a joint description of the work they intend to do at Ragdale. Clearly specify your work and living space needs i.e. how many private studio and/or sleeping quarters are needed. You may also submit an example of a previous collaborative work (either completed or in progress). Any specific concerns can be directed to Regin Igloria, Artistic Director at regin@ragdale.org, before applying.
TIMELINE
May 15: Application Deadline
September: Notification of Residency or Fellowship award.
QUESTIONS?
All inquiries should be directed to Artistic Director, Regin Igloria (regin@ragdale.org), and Residency Manager Deanna Miera (deanna@ragdale.org). Please do not reach out through Submittable.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES for HIGH SCHOOL ARTS WEEK 2024
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
High School Arts Week at Ragdale takes place July 15-19, 2024 and offers intensive workshops in creative writing, visual arts and dance.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
The deadline for high school students applying for all workshops is Sunday, April 14, 2024, 11:59 p.m. Notifications will be received May 1, 2024.
ELIGIBILITY
High School students from Chicago and the surrounding region are welcome to apply (grade level 9-12, rising freshman and graduating seniors are eligible). Ragdale will be accepting 12 students in Creative Writing (Prose), 12 students in Creative Writing (Poetry), 12 in Dance, and 12 in Visual Arts following a competitive selection process.
We encourage students of all backgrounds and levels of experience to apply. Ragdale does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of age, disability, gender, origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation.
WHEN & WHERE
High School Arts Week will take place Monday through Friday, July 15-19, from 10am-4pm at the historic campus of The Ragdale Foundation, 1260 North Green Bay Road in Lake Forest.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Creative Writing: Creative Writing students will be assigned to either a short form prose writing workshop under the guidance of instructor Margaret Hawkins, author and educator, or a poetry/creative writing workshop under the guidance of Kenyatta Rogers, poet and author.
Dance: New this year to High School Arts Week, the Dance intensive presents students interested in movement an opportunity to investigate dance and choreography in Ragdale's Sybil Shearer studio. Instructor TBA
Visual Arts Intensive: Under the guidance of a multidisciplinary visual artist, students are invited to explore the concepts of site, space, and place through guided investigations in art. Most projects will use the Ragdale grounds as an inspiration for creative engagement, working both indoors and outdoors to develop original works. Joelle Mercedes, multi-media and teaching artist, leads this course. An exhibition of student work will be featured at the end of the week.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES
All applicants submit electronic materials through the Submittable application portal. Please note the following requirements to complete your application:
1. A completed online application form.
2. A letter of reference from a teacher or school official who knows you personally and can address your suitability for the week-long intensive. Reference letters are confidential and are submitted electronically through Submittable.
3. Upload 2-3 samples of previous work. For the Writing workshops, submit any written works (essays, poems, short stories, etc.). For Dance, a short video of previous performances (1-2 minutes in length. If no documentation is available, please submit a short essay in writing why the Dance intensive would benefit you at this time). For Visual Art, digital photos of previous works in 2D or 3D.
EVALUATION
Applications are reviewed by Ragdale staff and the program instructors. Evaluations of work are based on the following criteria:
- Work samples show evidence of originality and inventiveness.
- Work samples demonstrate quality and technical proficiency.
- References reflect the student's ability to work well with other students.
- Students will be selected from as large a range of area schools as possible, taking into consideration the merit of work samples submitted.
NOTIFICATION
You will be notified of your admission status via email by May 1, 2024.
QUESTIONS?
For further assistance, please email Regin Igloria at regin@ragdale.org or phone 847.234.1063 ext. 26.