From Bellforge Arts Center’s Stacey David, Director of Marketing & Communications –
CULTURAL ALLIANCE CHANGES NAME AND LAUNCHES
BELLFORGE ARTS CENTER
(Medfield, MA): The Cultural Alliance of Medfield (CAM), 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. Both the CAM organization and the cultural destination will now be branded 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’s 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,” says Bellforge’s Executive Director Jean Mineo.
With a 99-year lease on the two signature buildings, Bellforge has a transformational vision for the 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.
Bellforge 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 their new outdoor stage. June 11 will be Bellforge’s Launch Party, which begins at 11:00 am with a panel discussion by music industry experts, including Ralph Jaccodine, Livingston Taylor’s Manager; Carl Lavin, Owner/Booking Agent for Great Scott; Cliff Notez, Founder and CEO of HipStory; and Jean Mineo, Executive Director of the Bellforge Arts Center. This discussion on the value of venues like Bellforge for performers, audiences, and the vitality of the arts in the MetroWest region will be followed at noon with a concert on the Center’s outdoor stage with Dutch Tulips and Will Dailey. The public is invited to bring a blanket or lawn chair, settle back and enjoy. The event is free, though attendees are asked to register at bit.ly/BellforgeLaunch
For more information about the Bellforge Arts Center, including a schedule of upcoming programs and events, please visit www.bellforge.org.
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