Ragdale Ring

Ragdale is an artists' retreat located on the grounds of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw's 1897 Arts and Crafts summer home in Lake Forest, Illinois.The artists' community supports more than 1,500 regional students and 150 creative practitioners each year through residencies, financial aid and fellowships, curatorial projects, and educational programs.

Ragdale Foundation

This event features dancer Irene Hsiao, author Ellen Blum Barish in conversation with poet Valerie Wallace, and jazz vocalist Dee Alexander

We are excited to welcome guests back to campus for the 9th annual Ragdale Ring. <ul><li>Masks are required when not eating or drinking.</li><li>Maintain social distance throughout your visit.</li><li>Be respectful of others who may feel more apprehensive during this phase.</li><li>Do not attend the event if you are sick.</li></ul>We recommend that you bring:<ul><li>Blankets and chairs</li><li>Bug spray</li><li>Masks</li></ul>Ragdale will provide:<ul><li>Unopened beverages (see ticket add-ons)</li><li>Free parking for Ragdale Ring performances is available in Lake Forest's Oakwood lot, on the corner of Oakwood and Deerpath. A shuttle van will run every 15 minutes from 5:30-9 PM. Metra riders may meet the shuttle in the Oakwood lot. Masks required on shuttle.</li><li>Contactless check-in</li><li>Dedicated hand-sanitizing stations</li><li>Contactless check-in</li><li>Dedicated hand-sanitizing stations</li></ul>

This year's Ring events will feature a progressive experience. For this event you will enjoy a dance performance from movement artist Irene Hsiao, a Ragdale Talks conversation between authors Ellen Blum Barish and Valerie Wallace, and a music performance from jazz vocalist Dee Alexander and the A-Team, featuring Miguel de la Cerna, piano, Junius Paul, bass, and Ernie Adams, drums.

Photo by Rudi Amadeus<a href="https://irenechsiao.wordpress.com/about/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Irene Hsiao</a> is a 2020 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist and a 2020-2021 CDF Lab Artist in Residence at High Concept Labs. Irene's costume for this performance will be designed by Vin Reed.

<a href="https://ellenblumbarish.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Ellen Blum Barish</a> is the author of the just-released memoir, Seven Springs (Shanti Arts, 2021), a contributor to the anthology Chicago Storytellers From Stage to Page (Chicago Story Press, 2020), and author of Views from the Home Office Window (Adams Street Publishing, 2007).

Photo by Marc Monaghan<a href="https://valeriewallace.net/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Valerie Wallace</a> is the author of House of McQueen, selected by Vievee Francis for the Four Way Books Intro Prize (Spring 2018), and the chapbook The Dictators’ Guide to Good Housekeeping.

Photo by Jim Newberry<a href="http://deealexander.net/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dee Alexander</a> is one of Chicago’s most gifted and respected female vocalist/songwriters. Her talents span every music genre, from Gospel to R&B, from Blues to Neo-Soul. Yet her true heart and soul are experienced in their purest form through her performance of Jazz music. From a soft, sultry traditional ballad, to a contemporary Jazz-Funk groove; from a high flying swing, to a scat-filled romp, Dee Alexander delivers each style with a passion and love of music that comes across in each and every note, and with a style and grace that is truly her own.

About this year's Ragdale Ring:Winner of the 2021 Ragdale Ring competition: <a href="https://almost.studio/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Almost Studio</a>’s “That’s a Wrap” Almost Studio, a design practice co-founded by Anthony Gagliardi (Syracuse University) and Dorian Booth (Yale School of Architecture) , along with junior designer Isabella Calidonio Stechmann (Syracuse University), has won the 2021 Ragdale Ring Competition for their design, "That’s a Wrap." Their proposal is a contemporary interpretation of the original Ragdale Ring garden theatre designed by architect Howard Van Doren Shaw in 1912. "The annual competition is now in its ninth year and continues to celebrate and further the field of architecture. “That’s a Wrap” is a timely and poignant solution to the questions posed for this year’s Ragdale Ring competition. With the pandemic still looming, and the notion of artists presenting performative works at a venue that needed to be flexible in both physical structure and concept, Almost Studio truly embraced the challenge with their interpretation of mobility. The range of projects this year is a testament to the relevance of the work of designers, and we are honored to support the vision of this standout proposal.” - The 2021 Ragdale Ring Jury

Almost Studio: (L to R) Dorian Booth, Isabella Calidonio Stechmann, Anthony Gagliardi Photo: Jonathan Hokklö

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Ragdale Ring

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