House, Dreaming: An Exhibit of Artists’ Interpretations of the Ragdale House, Asleep

Animation still from "attic: an automatic puppet show." Installation, story, and artwork created by writer, Jill Summers and graphic designer, Susie Kirkwood. Editing and motion graphics by Landry Miller. Lighting and photography by Brendan Metzger.

 

 

Beginning October 9, the public is welcome to view the Ragdale House in a new way—as the site of its first installation by multiple artists, entitled “House, Dreaming.” More than 30 artists from a variety of disciplines have been invited to explore and interact with a space in the Ragdale House, the Lake Forest summer home of Arts and Crafts architect Howard Van Doren Shaw. The site is also home to the fourth-largest artists’ community in the United States.

Throughout the month of October, the finished exhibit will offer a beautiful—and perhaps eerie—interpretation of what happens while the Ragdale House slumbers.

“House, Dreaming” is curated by bestselling author, artist, and Ragdale Board member Audrey Niffenegger; Director of Artists-in-Residence Regin Igloria; and Ragdale alumnus Shawn Sheehy. Exhibiting artists were selected for their connection to Ragdale as well as their ability to create art that transforms a place. Whether through sound, paper and fiber, or video, the artists will convert each room so that the viewer is able to see the space in a new way.

Because the installations are set in rooms of an historic home and not a traditional gallery, the experience is atypical. Visitors will climb into the attic to view an “automatic puppet show.” In another room, guests may sit down and peruse a transient library, composed of dozens of artists’ books. Even the exterior of the house will be transformed, set aglow with lanterns and light.

Members of the public are invited to the opening of “House, Dreaming” on Saturday, October 9 from 3 pm to 7 pm. To schedule a viewing or for more information, contact Regin Igloria at 847.234.1063, ext. 206.

Shawn Decker is a composer and artist who creates sound and electronic media installations and writes music for live performance, film, and video. His work has been frequently performed, seen, and heard in the U.S. and Europe. Recent exhibitions of both solo and collaborative work have shown at venues such as the Kiasma Museum in Helsinki, the Museum of Art and Design in New York, and the Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park. Decker is a Professor in the Art and Technology and Sound departments at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Chris Hefner’s work with film, sculpture, print, installation, and sound has been shown in such venues as the Chicago Underground Film Festival, And/Or Gallery Dallas, Lausanne Underground Film Festival, Flicker Film Fest, Underground Filmmaker Fest San Francisco, and the Center for Book and Paper Arts. His two multimedia solo exhibitions, “Birdcatcher” (2006) & “Expo” (2008) were held at Heaven and Finch Galleries, respectively. Hefner is currently producing his first feature-length film, “The Pink Hotel,” slated for completion in early 2010.

Melissa Jay Craig’s handmade paper book works, sculptures, and installations are exhibited internationally. She is also a curator, writer, and an award-winning professor. Affiliated with the Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts from its beginning in 1994 until May 2009, she taught in the Interdisciplinary Book and Paper Arts MFA program for 13 years, eight as its full-time Artist In Residence. 

Beth Reitmeyer’s artwork strives to be a physical manifestation of the cherished yet unseen parts of our relationships: hopes, dreams, wishes, and love. It highlights the seasons and rituals of life such as gift giving, holidays, and time spent making memories in specific rooms of one’s home._ Her installations develop as she investigates the time and place they inhabit. She is fascinated by the specific colors and patterns traditionally used to decorate specific spaces. Her work also investigates cultural practices, traditions, and rituals, which give meaning and celebration to life.

Jill Summers and Susie Kirkwood are sisters and artists who will present an “automatic puppet show” in the attic at Ragdale. Jill Summers’ audio fiction has been featured internationally by Chicago Public Radio, the Third Coast International Audio Festival, and New Adventures in Sound Art. Her work has appeared in Stop Smiling Magazine, Ninth Letter, VAIN magazine, littleBANG, Gapers Block, This 'Zine Will Change Your Life, Annalemma, The 2nd Hand, Please-Don't, and MAKE magazine, and as a Featherproof MiniBook. She has three collections of audio shorts, “Cohabitation,” “Les Petites Tristes,” and “The Diagnosis of Sadness.”

The Ragdale Foundation is an artists’ community that enriches the creative spirit, fosters artistic freedom, and infuses the artistic process with a powerful energy burst – the catalyst for creativity. Built in 1897, Ragdale is located on the grounds of Arts and Crafts architect Howard Van Doren Shaw’s summer home in Lake Forest, IL. Today the historic, timeless, and tranquil environment provides a sanctuary for artists-in-residence through its Foundation. For more information about Ragdale, please contact 847.234.1063.