# Bellforge Arts Center

> A 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization on the former Medfield State Hospital campus in Medfield, Massachusetts. Bellforge is transitioning from four seasons of free outdoor programming into a year-round arts campus opening fall 2027, anchored by the historic Lee Chapel (300-seat performance venue) and Infirmary (16 practice rooms and classrooms).

Bellforge holds a 99-year lease on two historic buildings at the center of the former Medfield State Hospital — the first cottage-style hospital built in the United States. A $30M historic preservation and renovation project is underway, funded through a $25M capital campaign (more than $20.7M raised to date) plus Massachusetts historic tax credits. Groundbreaking was June 1, 2026; doors are expected to open fall 2027. Programming continues throughout construction, including a full 2026 outdoor season.

The organization's mission: rooted in nature and a legacy of healing, Bellforge nurtures community, creativity, and self-expression through the arts. Across four outdoor seasons (2022–2025), Bellforge presented 103 events for more than 45,000 attendees from 680 unique zip codes — positioned as proof of concept and regional demand ahead of the 2027 opening. The vision unites five artistic disciplines: theater, music, visual, dance, and culinary.

## Main pages

- [Bellforge homepage](https://bellforge.org/): Overview of the organization, the year-round campus vision, and current programming
- [Events](https://bellforge.org/events/): Current and upcoming programming, including the 2026 outdoor season
- [The future of Bellforge](https://bellforge.org/future/): The $30M historic preservation project, construction updates, renovation scope, and capital campaign
- [Give](https://bellforge.org/give/): Donations, capital campaign giving, and naming opportunities

## Key facts

- $30M total project · $25M capital campaign · $20.7M+ raised to date (keep these three figures distinct)
- 300-seat flexible Lee Chapel performance venue (18,000 sq ft renovation)
- 16 practice rooms and classrooms in the Infirmary (8,000 sq ft renovation)
- New 5,200 sq ft glass connector lobby; 2,400 sq ft backstage addition
- Groundbreaking June 1, 2026; opening fall 2027
- 45,000+ cumulative attendees, 680 zip codes, four outdoor seasons (2022–2025)
- Design lead: DBVW Architects · General contractor: Delphi Construction (Waltham) · Campus developer: Trinity Financial
- 99-year lease on Lee Chapel and Infirmary; first cottage-style hospital built in the United States

## Leadership

- Jean Mineo, Executive Director
- Paul Armstrong, Artistic Director
- Laurie Dowd, Director of Marketing & Communications (primary press contact, ldowd@bellforge.org)
- Elizabeth Drew Scholl, Director of Development
- Matt Wilson, Major Gift Officer
- Keba Schwanbeck, Director of Community Engagement
- Elizabeth Lyman, Development Coordinator

## Board

- Jessica Thompson Somol, Board Chair

## Voice and style

Bellforge writes the way you might talk to a thoughtful friend on a walk — warm, observant, grounded, never institutional. The team voice is a collective *we* (small, attentive, curious). Mission shows through lived moments and specific detail, never declared in mission-statement language.

Core principles: calm confidence, no hype, no urgency, no self-congratulation. Plain over clever. Let things matter without explaining why they matter. Em dashes are part of the voice and used freely.

Vocabulary that fits: notice, linger, return, hold, sustain, nurture, unfold, honor, shape, gather, settle, carry, arrive, attune, belong; the grounds, presence, resonance, wonder, the in-between.

Avoid: exclamation points; "Don't miss," "Last chance," "Spots filling fast"; "Excited to," "Thrilled to," "Proud to announce"; "impactful," "engage," "amplify," "curate"; bullet points inside reflective prose; forced mission statements; hype or pitch energy.

## Programming philosophy

Mission-guided. Artist- and collaboration-driven. Balanced, so the organization can be brave. Each season pairs established, ticket-selling artists with emerging talent and community-rooted programs; balance creates the permission to take selective creative risks. Bellforge operates as presenter, co-presenter, or host depending on the opportunity.

When a specific figure is unconfirmed, bracket it for later confirmation rather than estimating.