Spinning Words, Singing Worlds
Hosted by Medford Poet Laureate Vijaya Sundaram
Featured Poet: TBA
Suggested Donation: $5-$10

Poets, dreamers, and song-writers - we want to see you, hear you, and welcome you! Bring an original poem, story, or song to read or sing. We’ll provide a microphone and podium.

Open mics are monthly! Check ACM website for upcoming dates.

$20 ticket, $10 for seniors & students.  | tickets availble at door
Open to the public
Presented by Ellery Klein in a series of traditional music concerts

Rakish

Rooted in tradition with an ear toward the future, contemporary folk duo Rakish embodies earnest musical exploration and demonstrates an infectious playfulness on stage. In their sound together, it is evident the two friends share an unbridled love for the traditional sounds of Celtic and American music, and the tight ensemble of a group with years of collaboration under their belt.

Known for her toneful and award-winning fiddle playing in the Celtic music world, Maura Shawn Scanlin grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Maura is a 2-time U.S. National Scottish Fiddle Champion and a winner of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Competition in Scotland. Her clawhammer banjo playing and songwriting, also featured in the duo, hold the regional music of her homeland close. Maura finds her niche combining influences from a widespread musical journey with the sounds she grew up around.  

Steeped in the Irish music communities of Washington D.C. and Baltimore, MD where he was raised, acclaimed guitarist Conor Hearn developed a keen interest in literary theory and poetry, a unique well of material from which he draws unending musical inspiration. A keenly sought-after collaborative guitarist, Conor performs with many of the most renowned names in Celtic music today. His guitar style combines bass and rhythm for a uniquely powerful and precise sound.

Rakish, embracing the unconventional connotation of their namesake, create and perform music with verve. Together they journey through Celtic and Americana styles, deftly showcasing how to bring forth something new from the deep well of tradition. They are touring their new album across the country throughout the fall of 2024 and into 2025.

Led By: Join Leticia Priebe Rocha

Cost: $10-$20

Join Leticia Priebe Rocha, local artist and poet, for evenings of community collaging! In this three part series, we will explore the following themes each month. With 2025 winding down, this wholesome and introspective session will encourage participants to nurture gratitude through collage, creating a physical manifestation of all they are grateful for this year.

Taught by Christine WIllis
$75 | Registration Required

Indigo is a natural plant that creates a stunning deep blue color. We learn about this magical dye and utilize shibori, a Japanese dyeing technique that involves folding, twisting or bunching cloth to create resist patterns. The fabric is bound and dyed in a natural indigo vat. You will unfold your item and it will reveal your one of a kind design.

All materials are included in the price of the class, so all you need to do is come ready to create. 1 yard of white cotton fabric will be included.

Feel free to bring an item from home to upcycle in the dye bath.

Knowledge required:

Beginner friendly! Ages 10 + with an adult

Make sure to come in clothes you don't mind getting dye on!

Bounty of the Harvest: Flower Arranging Class

Led By: Anne Traer

Cost: $90

Celebrate the season with a hands-on workshop where you'll create a stunning autumnal centerpiece, perfect for your fall table. Learn the fundamentals of floral design and color, using rich seasonal blooms and textures.

What’s Included:
• Create a long & low autumn centerpiece
• Learn basic design and color principles
• Receive hands-on floral arranging instruction
• Take home a beautiful seasonal arrangement

Garden and Roads is a local florist and small-scale flower farm growing flowers and creating florals using techniques gentle to the environment!

No experience needed — all materials provided!

Led by Rev. Wendy Miller Olapade
Donate what you can, Open to the Public - RSVP Appreciated

In Part II of the Art & Soul Circle, the conversation continues with new voices from Boundaries & Beyond. This session will deepen our exploration of how art intersects with activism, resilience, and community. Participants are encouraged to share reflections as we collectively imagine pathways toward climate action.

Spinning Words, Singing Worlds
Hosted by Medford Poet Laureate Vijaya Sundaram
Featured Poet: TBA
Suggested Donation: $5-$10

Poets, dreamers, and song-writers - we want to see you, hear you, and welcome you! Bring an original poem, story, or song to read or sing. We’ll provide a microphone and podium.

Open mics are monthly! Check ACM website for upcoming dates.

Taught by Christine Willis

Block printing is a traditional technique that involves carving a design onto a block, which is then used to stamp patterns onto fabric. For this workshop you will choose from an assortment of hand carved wooden blocks from my collection and a vibrant array of inks. We will then explore pattern making using a single or multiple blocks. This workshop is a great way to meet new people in your creative community or spend time with friends exploring a new craft. 

All of the materials are included in the price of the class, so all you need to do is come ready to create.

Knowledge required:

Beginner friendly! Make sure to come in clothes you don't mind getting paint on!

What you'll get:

A piece of fabric to practice your stamping + a 100% cotton tea towel for your final design. Leave with a unique tea towel that you can gift or keep for yourself!

$25 Tickets | $25 Tickets available at door
Open to Public | Part of ACM’s Live Concert Series

Medford musicians Glenn Dickson (performing with Bob Familiar and Grant Smith) and Robyn Alman, a.k.a. TotoRobyn,  present an evening of orchestral ambient and electronic music. 

Glenn Dickson, cutting edge klezmer clarinetist, and Bob Familiar, electronic musician with a history in classic Boston rock bands, have combined to create a lush orchestral sound through layering of the clarinet and synths, yet is human and intimate in its presence.

Glenn has adopted looping techniques and digital manipulations of his acoustic clarinet sound, while Bob utilizes the Osmose keyboard, which extends the intuitive expressiveness of the traditional synthesizer through multi-dimensional sensing for every key, with  drifting loop stations, and state of the art sound processors. 

Their "compositional ambient" style encompasses soaring melodies, awesome textural layerings and detailed interplay between the instruments. They borrow from the best of the ambient world with a classical sensitivity and melodic development that sets them apart from much ambient and electronic music.  Their first album, "All the Light of Our Sphere" dropped in  May, 2025, and their second, the live album "0808" is due out this fall. All the Light of Our Sphere | Dickson & Familiar  See also: https://glenndicksonmusic.com/ and Music | Bob Familiar

Medford resident Robyn Alman, a.k.a TotoRobyn, loves the exploration of electronic music using a mix of hardware and modular synths. She primarily composes ambient, downtempo, and dance music, but is always happy to explore various music genres as the mood strikes her. TotoRobyn's recent album, Divergent Crossroads, dives into an electronic journey that spans various genres and moods of modular exploration. Music | TotoRobyn

——
“ both experimental and drop-dead gorgeous — two characteristics that all-too-rarely coincide.” - Rick Anderson on Dickson & Familiar — CD Hotlist

“ ...what Glenn Dickson and his accomplice Bob Familiar offer isn’t just music in any conventional sense. It’s closer to poetry, cerebral, unhurried, insistent. A soundscape to be read, not simply heard.” - Thierry De Clemensat — Paris Move

SPLASH! is Arts Collaborative Medford’s community celebration, marking nearly two years of creative impact and the bridges we continue to build between artists, neighbors, and networks. This special evening brings together art, music, and local flavor in support of ACM’s mission to nurture creativity and connection in Medford.

Guests will enjoy a small works sale, a silent auction, and live music from Matt Heaton and the Electric Heaters. The evening also features food and drink from some of Medford’s favorite eateries, creating the perfect backdrop for conversation, connection, and celebration.

Join us for SPLASH! and be part of a vibrant night that reflects the energy, creativity, and community spirit at the heart of Arts Collaborative Medford.

Led by: Found and Flowered
Fee: $40
A fun, beginner-friendly introduction to bookbinding and junk journaling - perfect for anyone who loves playing with paper! In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how to create your own one-of-a-kind junk journal using a simple 3-hole pamphlet stitch. We’ll use a mix of materials, including cardstock, vintage papers, envelopes, magazines, washi tape, stickers, and more.

All materials are provided, and you’ll leave with a completed journal ready to use!

$25 | Brought to you by Chez Faint and Floor 51 Productions

Join us at Arts Collaborative Medford for the debut screening of Party Pants, a sharp comedy about a woman facing insecurities, marriage, and midlife on her 53rd birthday. After the film, stay for a lively panel on thriving in Boston’s creative community. Connect with fellow creatives over drinks and light fare in this unique opportunity to network, learn, and be inspired.

Open Studio hosted by ACM
Free & Open to the Public!
RSVPs Appreciated

This is a FREE drop in for anybody to come and create among other artists & artist-types at ACM! Come mingle…and MAKE! Bring your own sketchbook/art projects. Bring snacks or drinks to share if you can, space, music, snacks and vibes will be provided!

Led By: Join Leticia Priebe Rocha

Cost: $10-$20

Join Leticia Priebe Rocha, local artist and poet, for evenings of community collaging! In this three part series, we will explore the following themes each month. Let’s dive into the spirit of spooky season with this collaging spooktacular! Whether you’re a horror fiend, a scaredy-cat, or somewhere in between, this session is sure to be a hauntingly fun early celebration of Halloween.

Led by: Gary Roberts

Free

Learn about modern poetry with short poems from some of the most celebrated writers of the twentieth century. We’ll listen to or read the poems, share initial impressions, and discuss whatever questions or themes emerge. The texts will be provided at the meeting—no homework required!

This month we’ll feature two outstanding poets of the Caribbean: Aimé Césaire of Martinique and Derek Walcott of Saint Lucia.  

This free salon-style series welcomes everyone—whether you’re well-versed in poetry or simply curious. Drop in for one session or all; each 90-minute meetup stands on its own. Prior experience with poetry will be helpful but isn’t required. An interest in innovative techniques, tolerance for ambiguity, and appreciation of different points of view will also be helpful.

Emphasis will be given to poets who bore witness to social upheaval and shaped modern literature with their responses to historical events. We will take a global perspective and include many writers in different languages who have been translated into English. Brief introductions to the poets will be offered, but no stuffy lectures; we’ll make connections and discoveries together through our sharing of questions and observations.

Hosted by Gary Roberts, a poet and co-founder of Arts Collaborative Medford, as part of our literary arts initiative. Bring your coffee, tea, or notebook and join us for a relaxed, open conversation about how poetry can reflect, resist, and reimagine the world around us.

Registration is requested, but not required.

Led by: Nerida Ackland

Fee: Free

Join Midwife, Artist and Mother Nerida Ackland in this 6 week creative art journaling group. Maternal Journal is a global movement providing a creative outlet for some of the new feelings and challenges experienced in pregnancy and new parenthood.

Explore identity and the transitions of this season. Create community and connect.

Take this time for yourself and discover the benefits of a simple creative practice. No experience necessary. Sketchbook provided, or bring your own. Non-crawling age infants welcome

Hosted By Malik Harding & Ashley Lazonick Harding
Free
Ages: 11-14
Maximum Participants: 8 | CURRENTLY FULL

Second run of the trial art group for young creative artists in Medford. Any preteen or teen (ages 11-14) who loves to create art is welcome to join us for 5 fun Sundays where we will play with different art mediums and make masterpieces from our interpretation of a new random prompt each week. 

This is a free group led by a local Medford artist. Registration is required. Currently no open spots. Since our group activities depend on consistent attendance, we ask that teen participants ideally commit to all six sessions if possible. We will be opening registration for the next session (starting January 2026) by November 16th, please check back!

6 WEEK SESSION:
October 5 
October 19
October 26
November 2
November 9
November 16

Led by: Rebecca McGee Tuck + Jeffrey Nowlin

Fee: $65

Join artists Rebecca McGee Tuck and Jeffrey Nowlin for 3D Weaving Lab on Saturday, October 4, 10:00 am–12:00 pm at the Medford Arts Collaborative. Tuck is a Massachusetts-based sculptor and fiber artist whose eco-focused practice transforms marine debris into woven installations. Nowlin is a Boston-area fiber artist known for sculptural weaving and material experimentation. Together they’ll introduce weaving, coiling, twining, and basketry techniques and guide participants in creating small sculptural forms from reclaimed materials. Materials will be provided but please bring along any scrap fabric materials that you wish to incorporate into your work. 

POSTPONED! This event was scheduled for September 25 but has been moved to October 2.

Spinning Words, Singing Worlds
Hosted by Medford Poet Laureate Vijaya Sundaram
Featured Poet: Jean Flanagan
Suggested Donation: $5-$10

Poets, dreamers, and song-writers - we want to see you, hear you, and welcome you! Bring an original poem, story, or song to read or sing. We’ll provide a microphone and podium.

Jean Flanagan is author of two books of poetry: Ibbeston Street (Garden Street Press) and Black Lightning (Cedar Hill Books). Her forthcoming book The Language of Two will be published by Finishing Line Press in September 2026. Flanagan is a volunteer coordinator for “Changing Lives Through Literature” an alternative sentencing program in Massachusetts. She is one of the founders of the Arlington Center for the Arts and the current Poet Laureate of Arlington, Massachusetts.

Open mics are a part of ACM’s Literary Program. The remaining dates this fall are on October 23, November 20, December 18th. Be sure to check the ACM website for the most up to date information.

Led by: Nerida Ackland

Fee: Free

Join Midwife, Artist and Mother Nerida Ackland in this 6 week creative art journaling group. Maternal Journal is a global movement providing a creative outlet for some of the new feelings and challenges experienced in pregnancy and new parenthood.

Explore identity and the transitions of this season. Create community and connect.

Take this time for yourself and discover the benefits of a simple creative practice. No experience necessary. Sketchbook provided, or bring your own. Non-crawling age infants welcome

Led by: Leticia Priebe Rocha

Cost: $10-$20

Join Leticia Priebe Rocha, local artist and poet, for evenings of community collaging! In this three part series, we will explore the following themes each month:

What would a collage that depicts different facets of yourself look like? Participants will be guided through an exciting process of discovering the symbols, images, phrases, fragments, colors, or patterns that emerge as representations of themselves.

Led by Rev. Wendy Miller Olapade
Donate what you can, Open to the Public - RSVP Appreciated

Join us for Part I of the Art & Soul Circle, a facilitated conversation with artists from Boundaries & Beyond. This gathering invites participants to reflect on the creative process and the ways art can spark dialogue around climate justice. Together, we’ll explore the personal stories and collective vision behind the i3c artivists’ work.

Led By: Katharine Altman

Cost: $40

Create Your Own Polymer Clay Dangle Earrings!
Unleash your creativity in this fun, hands-on workshop where you'll learn how to craft a beautiful pair of polymer clay dangle earrings from start to finish.

The instructor will demonstrate a variety of techniques, perfect for beginners and experienced crafters alike. By the end of the session, you'll have your very own custom earrings to take home and wear with pride!

Hosted by Hendrik of Down By Riverside

The event is a Pay-What-You-Can event, which means the tickets are free, but we ask each person to donate to help pay for the event if they can.

Carve out 90 minutes from your Sunday to connect with the community and work on taking care of yourself. Let the sound wash over you and feel the tension unclench.

What’s a Soundbath?
A soundbath is a performance of sound or music which is intended to relax, to spiritually heal, and to create a meditative state. Hendrik will play gong and singing bowls for this program. Often the sounds are long, deep sustained tones and harmonic resonances that happen higher above droning fundamental tones. The sound serves as a focal point for meditation. Instead of trying to focus on nothing or on the breath, the participant concentrates on the sound as it changes and develops.

What to Expect:
Please bring a yoga mat or meditation cushion with you. Several people have also brought blankets and pillows. You will get the option to sit in a cushioned chair if desired.

Program Flow
There will be an introductory discussion where participants can check in with the group. Lately this has included discussions about stressors, anxiety and depression. We will do some breathwork to relax a bit before the actual music. The soundbath will last about 60 minutes. After the bath, we will also have time to discuss the experience, check in with our community, and plan how to support each other.

Hosted By Malik Harding & Ashley Lazonick Harding
Free
Ages: 11-16
Maximum Participants: 8

A new art group for young creative artists in Medford. Any preteen or teen (ages 11-16) who loves to create art is welcome to join us for 5 fun Sundays where we will play with different art mediums and make masterpieces from our interpretation of a new random prompt each week. 

This is a free group led by a local Medford artist. Registration is required. Spots are limited. Since our group activities depend on consistent attendance, we ask that teen participants ideally commit to all five sessions if possible

5 WEEK SESSION:
August 17 
August 24
September 7
September 14
September 21

Although born and raised as Hugh Holmes of Boston, Mass., the emanations from his harmonica and vocals make it clear that Professor Harp has the blues of Texas and the whole wide Deltacoursing through his veins.

The Professor was a rock ‘n’ roll drummer until ’69, when the Boston blues revival and a sterling performance he caught of blues harmonica great George Allen ‘Harmonica’ Smith, combined to lure him away from drums and into a full court press on the blues harp. “Undaunted!” he brags, by the vicissitudes of his life as blues man, front man, every kind of man, Professor Harp puts forth his commanding presence and exceptional talent, night after night.

Primarily playing a sparse, yet full-sounding brand of no-nonsense, no-frills Texas style blues, Professor Harp specializes in what he calls, ‘roots music’. “It’s whatever makes me feel good and moves me, so to speak.” Indeed it has evolved while continuing to move audiences for decades.

Under the influence of many diverse blues greats, Professor Harp has developed a robust playing style. He often utilizes the Leslie rotating-speaker sound system to give his harp a Hammond organ timbre, while he alternately and simultaneously employs the standard or traditional ‘electrified’ blues harp. The Professor tops this off by singing the blues with an infectious fervor, supported at his strictest insistence by only top-flight musicians on guitar, bass, and drums.

Flower Arranging Class: Late Summer Blooms

Led by: Anne Traer, Floral Designer

Cost: $70

Join us for a relaxed, creative evening celebrating the beauty of seasonal flowers. Learn the basics of floral design and color principles while creating your own stunning arrangement to take home.

What’s Included:
• Focus on seasonal flowers
• Basics of design and color principles
• Hands-on floral arranging instruction
• A beautiful vase of flowers to take home

Garden and Roads is a local florist and small-scale flower farm growing flowers and creating florals using techniques gentle to the environment!

No experience necessary — all materials provided!

Open Studio hosted by ACM
Free & Open to the Public!
RSVPs Appreciated

This is a FREE drop in for anybody to come and create among other artists & artist-types at ACM! Come mingle…and MAKE! Bring your own sketchbook/art projects. Bring snacks or drinks to share if you can, space, music, snacks and vibes will be provided!