Richard and Betty Hegner purchase the family farm in 1965, consisting of an 100-year old farmstead on 254 acres.
As the Hegners raise their family, they expand the family homestead and build a successful real estate business on the property.
Richard & Betty are passionate about the arts, Richard paints, Betty writes, and they encourage their children to pursue creative aspirations. Over the years, they financially support many arts organizations.
John leaves home to study music and lands on the east coast where he works as a jingle writer and opens a recording studio in New York City.
With a strong environmental ethic, the Hegners care for their land and plant 350,000 trees. They protect the farm with a conservation easement, reserving space for artists to create and be inspired by the land.
Feeling called home, John returns to the family farm in 2003. He purchases and remodels his parents’ retired real estate office and opens Starbell Hatchery Recording Studio.
2012 –
John and Rebecca meet at a Permaculture Design Course in Stelle, IL, and a new creative reality is born. Rebecca’s passion for ecological restoration and John’s artistic ideals are interwoven to begin a new chapter for their lives and the land.
Richard and Betty Hegner purchase the family farm in 1965, consisting of an 100-year old farmstead on 254 acres.
As the Hegners raise their family, they expand the family homestead and build a successful real estate business on the property.
Richard & Betty are passionate about the arts, Richard paints, Betty writes, and they encourage their children to pursue creative aspirations. Over the years, they financially support many arts organizations.
John leaves home to study music and lands on the east coast where he works as a jingle writer and opens a recording studio in New York City.
With a strong environmental ethic, the Hegners care for their land and plant 350,000 trees. They protect the farm with a conservation easement, reserving space for artists to create and be inspired by the land.
Feeling called home, John returns to the family farm in 2003. He purchases and remodels his parents’ retired real estate office and opens Starbell Hatchery Recording Studio.
John and Rebecca meet at a Permaculture Design Course in Stelle, IL, and a new creative reality is born. Rebecca’s passion for ecological restoration and John’s artistic ideals are interwoven to begin a new chapter for their lives and the land.
With a shared vision for the property, and building upon Hegner Family goals, John and Rebecca purchase a neighboring property and house, open Starbell Hatchery B&B, and relaunch the recording studio to focus on immersive experiences.
Present
With a shared vision for the property, and building upon Hegner Family goals, John and Rebecca purchase a neighboring property and house, open Starbell Hatchery B&B, and relaunch the recording studio to focus on immersive experiences.
Meet John and Rebecca Hegner
John’s experience in the arts and collaboration and Rebecca’s background in ecology and conservation meld together to create a space for inspiration and artistic expression. We are inspired by nature in art and art in nature and recognize that everything we do is a creative expression.
We explore sustainable practices, ecological restoration and the benefits of conservation at home. Demonstration gardens, hands-on restoration experience, artist residencies, and community-driven art installations in nature are some of the ways we support our vision.
Starbell Hatchery is a 54-acre canvas on which ecology and art synergistically combine to create a unique landscape and experience. We promote a creative and collaborative society that cares for the Earth, one in which all flourish.
John and Rebecca continue their journey as they explore brilliant partnerships and random adventures.