The Cultural Alliance Names New Regional Arts Center

The Cultural Alliance Names New Regional Arts Center

The Cultural Alliance, a non-profit organization in Medfield, MA, is pleased to announce the naming of the multi-arts center planned at the former Medfield State Hospital (MSH) campus. The cultural destination will be branded as the Bellforge Arts Center, serving Boston’s MetroWest region with a flexible-use performance venue, rehearsal studios and classrooms, outdoor stages, and green space for community events and activities.

The name celebrates the bell tower, an architectural feature of the historic chapel building located at the heart of the 87-acre property. Leading the project’s development, the Chapel will be restored as a 300-seat concert hall, while the site’s former Infirmary will be re-envisioned as an arts education center. A connecting breezeway will join the two buildings, creating a 24,000 square-foot cultural home for the performing and visual arts. With the word, “forge,” the new name also honors the project mission, to develop an inclusive gathering place and experiential arts hub in which to make and create.

“With Bellforge, we’re emphasizing a place for making, whether that’s art or friendships,” said Cultural Alliance Executive Director Jean Mineo.

With a 99-year lease on the two signature buildings, the Cultural Alliance has a transformational vision for the Bellforge Arts Center: to strengthen access to the arts and arts education in the MetroWest region, to encourage health and wellness through creative exploration, and to foster collaboration and community through multicultural and intergenerational programs and partnerships.

Recent Cultural Alliance-led development on the MSH campus has featured the installation of a 125-foot mural created by Cedric “Vise1” Douglas, along with several community wellness initiatives including a gathering space with placemaking art by Medfield High School students. The Cultural Alliance recently received a $10,000 Arts & Culture grant from the Foundation for MetroWest and a $45,000 award from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) to present a series of 25 concerts and festivals running from April through October on the new outdoor stage at Bellforge.

For more information about the Bellforge Arts Center, including a schedule of upcoming programs and events, please visit www.Bellforge.org.

About The Cultural Alliance

The Cultural Alliance (CAM) is a 501(c)3 organization established in 2015 to support artists and expand cultural opportunities. CAM holds a lease on two buildings at the former Medfield State Hospital to create a performing arts and education center for the MetroWest region. Rooted in nature and a legacy of healing, Bellforge nurtures community, creativity and self-expression through the arts.