What does wellness look like to you?

Maybe it’s spending time outdoors, making something with your hands, connecting with friends, or finding a sense of purpose in something you love. Wellness means different things to different people, and there are countless ways we experience and support it in our everyday lives.

This spring, we’re inviting Medfield’s young artists to explore that question through an exciting public art project that will bring their creativity to the Bellforge campus on a larger-than-life scale.

In partnership with Medfield Cares About Prevention (MCAP) and the Medfield High School Art Department, Bellforge Arts Center is developing a series of youth-designed murals inspired by the eight dimensions of wellness. Selected student artwork will be enlarged and displayed on the construction fencing surrounding Bellforge’s historic renovation project, transforming an everyday part of the construction landscape into an outdoor exhibition of student creativity.

As we work toward creating a permanent home for music, art, and community experiences in Medfield, this project offers a meaningful opportunity for young people to contribute to the campus today.

Eight Dimensions. A Fuller Picture of Well-Being.

Wellness encompasses much more than our physical health. Our relationships, surroundings, emotions, interests, and sense of purpose all contribute to how we experience well-being. The eight dimensions of wellness offer a framework for exploring these different aspects of our lives:

• Physical Wellness: Caring for our bodies through movement, rest, nutrition, and healthy habits.
• Social Wellness: Building meaningful relationships and feeling connected to the people around us.
• Spiritual Wellness: Exploring our values, beliefs, sense of purpose, and what gives our lives meaning.
• Emotional Wellness: Understanding and expressing our feelings, navigating challenges, and caring for our emotional health.
• Occupational Wellness: Finding fulfillment, purpose, and satisfaction in the work and activities we pursue.
• Intellectual Wellness: Staying curious, exploring new ideas, learning, and expressing our creativity.
• Environmental Wellness: Recognizing our connection to the natural world and caring for the spaces we share.
• Financial Wellness: Developing a healthy relationship with money, resources, and financial decision-making.

Each dimension offers a different starting point for creative interpretation. Students are encouraged to consider what these ideas mean in their own lives, drawing from personal experiences, observations, and imagination. There is no single way to represent wellness through art. An illustration of a favorite place, an abstract exploration of emotion, or a colorful celebration of friendship can each tell a meaningful story.

A Canvas for Young Voices

Public art has a special ability to make us see familiar places differently. It can spark curiosity, invite conversation, and give people a sense of connection to the spaces around them.

The project is designed to:

• Promote community wellness through the arts, encouraging creative expression and conversations about the many dimensions of well-being.
• Support youth leadership and self-expression, giving students an opportunity to see their ideas represented in a highly visible public setting.
• Strengthen community partnerships, bringing young people, educators, and local organizations together around a shared creative project
• Enhance our shared environment, bringing visual interest to the Bellforge campus while encouraging people to spend time outdoors and engage with the spaces around them.

We want participating students to experience the excitement of seeing their artwork become part of something larger, and to recognize the value their creative voices bring to the campus.

How to Participate 

Medfield students are invited to create an original artwork inspired by one or more of the eight dimensions of wellness.

Artwork Guidelines

• Size: 8.5″ × 11″ (standard letter-sized paper).
• Medium: All creative mediums are welcome, including painting, drawing, watercolor, digital art, collage, and mixed media.
• Theme: Artwork should explore one or more of the eight dimensions of wellness.
• Creative approach: Students are invited to interpret the theme in their own way, whether through representational imagery, abstract design, patterns, typography, or a combination of approaches.

Completed artwork will be scanned and enlarged for reproduction on large-scale banners installed along the construction fencing surrounding the Bellforge redevelopment project. Students are encouraged to think boldly about color, composition, and visual storytelling, knowing their work may eventually be viewed by visitors from across the campus.

Artwork submission details and instructions will be shared with participating students through the project organizers.

Creating something meaningful along the way

The Bellforge campus is in an exciting period of transformation. Our historic buildings are being renovated to become permanent homes for performances, creative learning, and community experiences, with an anticipated opening in early 2028. While redevelopment continues, we’re still committed to making the campus an active and welcoming place for creativity all times of the year.

The Bellforge Banners Project is one of those opportunities.

By bringing student artwork into a highly visible public space, we’re giving young artists a chance to contribute to the identity of a place that will serve their community for years to come.

And for everyone who encounters the finished murals, we hope they offer a chance to consider what wellness means in their own lives, appreciate the perspectives of Medfield’s young people, and experience the simple pleasure of discovering art in an unexpected place.