What’s Sustaining Us: The Freedom to Create
At Bellforge’s annual Fairy Walk, young artists transformed a grove of cardboard trees through curiosity, collaboration, and the freedom to…
The Art of Depending on One Another
Community theater is more than a place to perform — it's a place to practice interdependence. This piece explores what rehearsal rooms…
Who Gets to Define the Frame?
Rethinking accessibility, disabled leadership, institutional design and the many ways we can experience art.
Inside the Infirmary: Construction Update
The transformation of the historic Infirmary is underway. Take a look at the early construction work inside the future home of Bellforge’s…
Beneath the Chapel: Construction Update
Behind the scenes and below ground, important work is taking place in the Chapel basement.
Inside the Chapel: Construction Update
Work is underway inside the historic Chapel. Since construction began on June 1, Delphi Construction has made incredible progress preparing…
In Good Company with Brooke Annibale
With a fifth album arriving this September, Brooke Annibale appears to be in a season of listening more closely to her own. Her forthcoming…
In Good Company with The Benji’s
Rhode Island-based grunge pop trio The Benji's have spent more than a decade learning how to make music together and, just as importantly,…
In Good Company with Adeline Hotel
As the indie singer-songwriter behind Adeline Hotel and the founder of Ruination Record Co., his work often feels more concerned with…
In Good Company with Jill McCracken
jill mccracken is a Boston-based queer singer/songwriter making emotionally raw, retro soul music. Whether performing with a full band or…
In Good Company with Kier Byrnes
Ahead of this year's New England Americana Festival, we sat down with Kier Byrnes to talk about musical traditions, creative practice, and…
The Beauty of Work in Progress
Explore the creative process behind the art.
Why Live Music Feels Different: The Science of Listening Together
Discover why live music feels more powerful than listening alone.
Beyond Home and Work: The Power of Third Places
What are “third places” and why do they matter?
Campus Colors: Winter 002
Campus Colors is an ongoing series that looks at Bellforge through color.
Take Art Twice a Day: When Creativity Is the Prescription
Creativity and connection matter. Through music, art, and shared experience, Bellforge offers space for people to feel grounded, present,…
Campus Colors: Winter 001
Campus Colors is an ongoing series that looks at Bellforge through color.
Why the Arts Matter to Our Well-Being
Time spent with the arts has a real impact on how we feel, both mentally and physically.
We strive to be a place that:
- Strengthens access to the arts and arts education in our community
- Encourages health and wellness through creative exploration and connection to the land
- Fosters a strong sense of collaboration, community, and inclusion for families who are currently underserved in MetroWest
- Supports emerging and experienced artists in the development of their careers, work, and artistic practice
Great art shouldn’t only happen in big cities. What we’re building here is permanent. We hope you’ll find your way to it.
Bellforge Arts Center
History
From a place of healing to a home for the arts.
Listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places, the landmark Medfield State Hospital (MSH) opened in 1896 as the first of its kind — a cottage-style campus designed to maximize daylight, fresh air, exercise, and socialization for its residents. It was a radical idea for its time: that environment shapes wellbeing, that healing happens in community. The campus once housed its own orchestra, served as a teaching hospital for Tufts, and fed more than 2,000 residents through its own self-sufficient farms and gardens.
The Commonwealth closed MSH in 2003. The Town of Medfield purchased the site in 2014, and after four years of extensive public input, a master plan was completed in 2018. In 2020, Bellforge Arts Center secured a 99-year lease on the Lee Chapel and the adjacent Infirmary, two signature buildings at the heart of the campus, with a vision to transform them into a year-round home for the arts.
On June 1, 2026, Bellforge broke ground on a $30 million historic preservation and renovation project, converting the Chapel into a 300-seat flexible performance venue and the Infirmary into 17 practice rooms and classrooms, anchored by a new glass connector serving as the central lobby and gallery. Doors are expected to open in fall 2027.
The legacy of healing and innovation that shaped this campus more than a century ago is the same spirit that guides us now. This is an extraordinary opportunity to reimagine this place as somewhere people come to make and enjoy art, to engage with each other, and to connect with the land. That work is well underway.