Jean Mineo leads Bellforge Arts Center’s $25 million transformation

Jean Mineo is steering Bellforge Arts Center in Medfield, Massachusetts, through a major redevelopment of the former Medfield State Hospital campus into a multidisciplinary arts hub. The project combines historic preservation, community programming, and fundraising to expand access to the arts across the region.

Why it matters: - Bellforge Arts Center is turning a historic campus into a new cultural destination with performing arts, education and community programming. - The project is designed to expand creative access in Medfield and strengthen Bellforge’s role as a regional arts hub. - The redevelopment also ties arts investment to historic preservation, sustainability and local engagement.

What happened: - Jean Mineo is the executive director of Bellforge Arts Center in Medfield, Massachusetts. - Mineo is guiding a $25 million capital campaign to convert two historic buildings on the former Medfield State Hospital campus into a performing arts and education facility. - Her responsibilities include strategic planning, fundraising, programming development, construction coordination, historic preservation and community engagement. - Mineo also manages relationships with municipal partners and other stakeholders to align the project with community priorities and preservation standards.

The details: - Mineo holds a master’s degree in arts management from American University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rochester Institute of Technology. - She started her career at a national arts agency in the nonprofit arts sector. - Mineo later joined a community-based arts center in Newton, where she says direct interaction with participants, artists and audiences reshaped her career focus. - Bellforge’s long-term vision includes visual arts, culinary arts and expanded community programming. - The project includes restoring a historic agricultural field on the property that was originally cultivated in the 1890s. - Bellforge intends to reintroduce food production to the site while supporting education, sustainability and cultural connection. - Mineo’s leadership emphasizes collaboration with community members, artists, elected officials and organizational partners. - Mineo also cites determination and adaptability as essential for nonprofit arts work, especially in fundraising and large-scale development.

Between the lines: - Bellforge’s programming puts diversity at the center, with more than half of participating performers identified as BIPOC artists. - The organization’s capital campaign depends primarily on individual donors rather than major corporate sponsors or foundations. - That fundraising model suggests Bellforge is building long-term support around people who are invested in cultural infrastructure, not just short-term programming. - Mineo’s focus on relationships reflects a broader strategy: durable arts projects often depend as much on civic trust as on money.

What’s next: - Bellforge will continue developing toward a multidisciplinary site that combines performing arts, visual arts, culinary programming and education. - The organization will keep working to broaden community access and deepen its regional reach. - Mineo also supports youth-focused efforts such as Medfield Cares About Prevention.

The bottom line: - Mineo is positioning Bellforge Arts Center as more than a performance venue: the goal is a community-centered cultural campus built on preservation, inclusion and sustained local support.

More information is available in Jean Mineo’s profile and on Bellforge Arts Center’s team page.