Ravenswood

At Ravenswood, our Designers understand the power of image and design. We will meet with key personnel from your team to understand your goals, help assess and expand the concept viability, design in all the necessary attributes and help you create an experience for your customers of lasting value.

Ravenswood's Design Department can provide:

Concept Development
Experiential & Branded Design
Museum Exhibit Development & Design
Space Planning
Lighting Design
Project Estimating
Full Project Design Documentation
LEED Compliance

Our project and production managers have the skills and experience to ensure a quality, successful project. We are on board and in the game; you will find us competent, creative and totally engaged. Each project is unique and demands our complete attention, that's what keeps this work interesting!

Here are some of the skills and services that we bring to the table:

Estimating and Proposal Preparation
Value Engineering and Budgeting
CAD Drafting, 2D and 3D
Graphics File Preparation
Mechanics and Automation Design and Engineering
Interactives Design and Engineering
Scheduling
Material and Other Resources Sourcing
Submittals: Shop drawings, Samples and Progress Photos
LEED Professional on Staff
Trucking and Transportation
Installation Management

Our shop rocks! We have a great staff. They are creative, technically skilled, disciplined and committed to producing the best possible project. And at 60,000 square feet we can handle virtually any size project.

Here are some of the skills and services that we bring to the table:

Full Woodshop, Metal and Paint Shops
Scenery Fabrication
Custom Casework and Millwork
CNC Cutting
Steel, Stainless Steel and Aluminum Fabrication
MIG and TIG Welding
Scenery Automation
Museum Interactive Fabrication
Sample Production for Approval
Full Trial Set Ups
Full Scenic Art Capabilities

We are fortunate to have a strong cadre of exceptional artists and sculptors as permanent employees. They are not only knowledgeable about their respective crafts but efficient in their production processes as well.

Our scenic art services include:

Scenic Drops and Murals
Faux Finishing
Sculpting and Carving
Casting and Vacuum Forming
Millwork Finishes
Fabric and Softgoods

We can provide an entire crew and all the equipment needed for a turnkey installation or send a supervisor to direct your crew. Our installation crews are made up of the same people that worked on the fabrication of your project. They understand how the component pieces of the project fit together and what the desired end result should be. They are very accomplished at what they do and they make the installation go smoothly and efficiently.

For the last 22 years Ravenswood Studio has been one of countries premier fabricators and installers of exhibits, scenery, and display environments. Our commitment to craftsmanship and quality has facilitated our growth from a small two-person shop in 1988 to our current 60,000 square foot production facility on Chicago's north side. We are known for our ability to deliver a superior product on time and on budget, with no surprises.

Our most valuable asset is our people who transform every project from imagination into reality. Our project and production managers have the skills and experience to ensure a quality, successful project. We are on board and in the game; your project is important to us, you will find us competent, creative and totally engaged. Each project is unique and demands our complete attention, that's what keeps this work interesting!

EMAIL US

Michael Shapiro, President

Glenn Ragaishis, Production Manager

Eric Cup, Project Manager

Lewis Miller, Project Manager

Deb Gohr, Project Manager

Kevin Snow, Design Director

Anne Woolsey, Project Designer

Rich Walthers, Marketing

Matt Mogle, Asst. Project Manager

Mary Kegel, Asst. Project Manager

Suzy Shapiro, Accounts

DIRECTIONS TO RSI

FROM THE NORTH or SOUTH:
   Take 94 to Touhy Ave. Exit
   Travel East on Touhy
   Turn Right on Lawndale Ave.
   Follow Lawndale as it curves
      into N. Central Park Ave.

FROM THE WEST:
   Take 55 or 290 to 90/94
   Exit at Touhy Ave.
   Turn Right on Lawndale Ave.
   Follow Lawndale as it curves
      into N. Central Park Ave.

WORK WITH US

We are always looking to extend our talent pool of creative people. We have clean, nice, safe, and well equipped studio; and with the diversity of our projects, we love having people whose talents extend across departments. Designers, Artists, Carpenters, and Metalworkers of varying skill and experience levels are always encouraged to submit resumes, especially if you live in the Chicagoland area.

Achieving the designers' vision and making the set work technically is our job and we are totally committed to it. It's a very creative and engaging process. Making samples, doing shop drawings, emailing progress photos all add up to a successful project. Plus, opera sets are the coolest! When family or friends visit our shop and see a huge set put together in the warehouse, they are blown away. We take enormous pride in what we do. Give us a shot at your next project.

The Importance of Being Earnest set design

Pump Boys and Dinettes set with automation

Achieving the designers' vision and making the set work technically is our job and we are totally committed to it. It's a very creative and engaging process. Making samples, doing shop drawings, emailing progress photos all add up to a successful project. Theatre is where most of us started and we are so lucky to continue to work in this art form.

Coal Mine exhibit restoration and expansion

Evolving Planet specimen chambers, graphic and video panels

Bridgehouse fabrication and installation in Chicago

Great story telling requires skilled execution of all the exhibit elements. From casework and vitrines, to interactives and automation, to didactics and graphics, we understand the importance of bullet proof, flawless execution. Nothing beats being a part of bringing a new exhibit to life. We'd love to be part of your team, whether it's design or fabrication or both, call us to give you a quote.

Restaurants, retail, hospitality, fashion shows, special events, corporate exhibits, meetings and tradeshow booths and wherever else a customer interaction can be amplified into an experience that enhances a client's brand - that's where we come in. Check out some of our cool experiential environments.

We Build Cool Stuff!

It can't be said any simpler than that. Whether it is something we design for a client or something the client has already designed and wants us to build...we always make it as cool as it can be.

For over 20 years we have provided quality, affordable design and construction services to the live event, museum and exhibit industries. Our range of expertise is broad but in the end it boils down to creative engagement in each and every project. And we've built hundreds of projects over the years. Here are some of the industries we serve and the services we provide:

Theatre and Opera Sets and Scenery
Museum Exhibits, Displays and Interactives
Live Entertainment and Special Events
TV Sets and Film Sets
Design Services
Specialty Props
Stage and Scenery Automation
Custom Millwork Fabrication

Our fabrication facilities (60,000 sq ft!) have complete wood, metal, sculpting and paint shops. Our shop and production staff has extensive experience and expertise in show control automation, exhibit electronics, carpentry, metalwork in steel, aluminum and stainless, MIG and TIG welding, CNC routing, scenic art painting, backdrops, faux finishing, foam sculpting and carving. In addition we have a full time LEED accredited professional on staff to work on the application of green technology and materials to current projects.

Our client list is extensive. The best producers, designers, museums, theater and opera companies in the country depend on us to transform their visions into reality.

We have designed, fabricated and installed everything from large scale museum exhibits to individual elements. This could include everything from a simple display to artifact cases that have to meet exacting technical performance specifications as well as complex computer driven interactive displays.

We have also created experiential environments for retail, restaurants, other hospitality venues, tradeshows, corporate exhibits, fashion shows and special events. It is this constant cross pollination of diverse projects and integration of skills, technology and experience that keeps our work fresh and is the cornerstone of our business.

Bring us an idea in any state of development and we will help you see it through to reality. Check out the website and give us a call or email to discuss your next project.