Artists' residency launches 'Ragdale in Schools' program

In honor of its 40th anniversary in 2016, Ragdale, the renowned artists' residency in Lake Forest, is introducing the Ragdale in Schools program.

This new initiative offers creative learning experiences for students and educators that ignite curiosity, foster critical thinking, and develop inclusive collaborative environments.

Fifteen Ragdale fellows will be featured annually in this outreach program, which serves elementary, middle, and high schools in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, North Chicago, Waukegan, Zion and more with on- and off-campus offerings.

On Tuesday, Nov. 2, the Hannah Judy Gretz Fellow, author Jean Kwok, kicked off the Schools Program as she met with students at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest to discuss her work and experience becoming a writer.

Kwok emigrated from Hong Kong to Brooklyn when she was 5 and worked in a Chinatown clothing factory for much of her childhood. She is now The New York Times best-selling author of the award-winning novels "Mambo in Chinatown" and "Girl in Translation," which was published in 17 countries and taught in schools throughout the world.

Kwok currently lives in the Netherlands and is working on her third novel while at Ragdale.

Another example of Ragdale's student outreach is the annual summer Arts Week, when Ragdale hosts weeklong workshops in creative writing, visual and performing arts for high school students from Chicago to Zion.

Led by Ragdale Fellows and master educators, the students work on campus daily and celebrate their accomplishments in a public open house for their family, teachers and friends.

Each year, Ragdale fellowships recognize and advance the work of exceptional artists, writers, designers and scholars. For 18-25 days, these creative practitioners have the opportunity to enjoy Ragdale's historic retreat setting while developing new creative works. Fellows will be featured in outreach programs for schools during or following their residencies.

The Ragdale in Schools program allows Ragdale to match artists in residence with the needs of regional teachers and their students. For details on this initiative, or Ragdale's fellowships, contact Ragdale at (847) 234-1063 or info@ragdale.org.

The Ragdale Foundation is a nonprofit artists' residency located on the historic estate of architect Howard Van Doren Shaw in Lake Forest. Ragdale hosts 12 residency sessions per year, giving artists and writers a supportive environment in which to do their creative work.

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