The Sybil Shearer Studio at Ragdale is a music and composer’s studio located at one of the oldest and largest nonprofit artist residencies in the country. The intent of the design is to provide an inspiring space where artists can hone their skills and advance their artistic expression. Originally built in 1913, the seven-acre property was a country estate of former architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. The new studio’s architecture is designed to blend in with its bucolic landscape.
The 2,500 sq. ft. building houses both a dance and a composer’s studio. The building features a 1,500 sq. ft. dance studio with a sprung floor system, ceiling heights of 15 ft., a flexible theatrical lighting system, professional sound equipment, and a 400 sq. ft. composer’s studio design with acoustic soundproofing. The structure also contains two private living quarters for artists-in-residence.
Architectural features include modular skylights measuring 3 ft by 60 ft, exposed laminate trusses, a folding glass window wall measuring 8 ft. by 35 ft, and board & batten wood siding. A 12kw photovoltaic rooftop solar array supplies electrical power for the entire structure. The windows on all sides offer expansive views of the native prairie landscape. Lastly, the dance studio walls open as a proscenium onto a broad sloped lawn that serves as a viewing area, and outdoor performance stage.
Artists-in-residence are offered uninterrupted 18-day intervals to stay and focus on creative works in various residential buildings throughout the pastoral campus. The residency provides an opportunity for artists to explore their discipline among a communal group of likeminded artists.
The construction of the studio was funded in part by a grant from The Morrison-Shearer Foundation, which is dedicated to the legacy of the art of dance. The Ragdale Foundation, which is celebrating its 50th jubilee year, hosts more than 200 residencies a year for creative professionals representing multiple interdisciplinary art forms. The Ragdale campus is adjacent to the Shaw Prairie, an 80-acre preserve of native grassland, located 30 miles north of Chicago in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Architect: Woodhouse Tinucci Architects
Photographer: Mike Schwartz
