Meet Me in Medford | Gary Roberts at Arts Collaborative Medford

By 4Squares Residential Group with Judi 411

If you’ve ever wondered where Medford’s artists are making, dreaming, teaching, collaborating, and celebrating—look no further than Arts Collaborative Medford (ACM). It’s part gallery, part gathering space, part incubator for creative possibility. And at the center of it all is one of ACM’s founders, Gary Roberts.

Gary’s the kind of person who sees both the big picture and the small magic—like a hooded merganser drifting along the Mystic (more on this bird later), or the way a poetry salon can spark connection among strangers. He’s equal parts neighbor, artist, advocate, and champion for a Medford where creativity belongs to everyone.

We sat down with Gary to talk about the journey that led him to Medford, the birth of ACM, and why the city’s arts community is having a renaissance moment—one that’s been decades in the making.

How did you find your way to Medford?

I'm not from Medford—in fact, I'm not even from New England. I moved here from the Midwest in the early 90s to attend graduate school at Brandeis University, where I studied English and American literature with the intention of becoming a professor. After a few years, I realized that wasn't the path for me, but I stayed and finished my program anyway.

My best friend from college was also a grad student here, so I used that connection as a jumping-off point to find housing. In the early 90s, cheap apartments were easy to come by. I lived in Davis Square before it became what it is today—I literally pulled a tab off a telephone pole seeking roommates.

In the early 2000s, my wife and I got married and started looking for our own home. She was finishing her PhD at Tufts, so Medford was familiar to us and, different from today, affordable. We moved to West Medford in early 2009, near Dugger Park in the historically Black neighborhood near the Mystic River.

What do you love about your neighborhood?

My favorite part is still the people. I'm surrounded by more generational residents. They're great friends, and we look after each other. I like that feeling of being in a neighborhood. It reminds me of my days living in Davis Square.

The housing is old, so it tends to have a lot of character, which I really enjoy—along with all the trials and tribulations that come with having a hundred-year-old home!

The accessibility is fantastic. Because of the choices I've made, I can walk to my doctor's office, the grocery store, my bank, my service garage, the best restaurant in Medford, the post office, and the commuter rail. I used the commuter rail for many years to travel to work. I could even walk to Arlington Center if I wanted. There's just a lot of access on foot.

And of course, I love the Mystic River itself. I take daily walks there, and it's a big part of my daily life.

You mentioned the Mystic River. What’s your connection to it?

I'm a bird watcher, and this time of year—we're doing this interview in December—a lot of birds that you don't typically see come here from Canada for the winter. The river is full of these amazing birds, particularly my favorite: the hooded merganser, a type of duck that's absolutely gorgeous. You can find all kinds of ducks in the river just by walking along. You don't see them at other times of the year, so that's special to me.

During COVID, I was involved in creating a sound art installation along the Mystic River. It's a two-mile virtual audio tour composed of 14 original site-specific audio creations that you can access on both sides of the river between Medford Square and the Lower Mystic Lake. It's called Sound on Mystic.

It's a free experience featuring everything from classical music pieces composed specifically for parts of your walk to ambient electronic pieces and poetry. Terry Carter did an amazing reading about growing up in West Medford along the Mystic. One of my absolute favorite pieces is a dramatic reading of the famous petition letter by Belinda Sutton, asking for a pension as reparations after being enslaved.

You can access it via the free app Echoes. It's GPS-enabled and hands-free, so as you walk from zone to zone at a normal pace, the pieces fade and transition. It's an astonishing contribution to the city, funded by the Medford Arts Council in partnership with the Mystic River Watershed Association.

Photos, clockwise from upper left: An introduction to Sound on the Mystic a collective audio installation, Arts Collaborative Medford at the West Medford Open Studios in Dugger Park, a bird-inspired haiku on a Medford street corner, the new mural at the Arts Collaborative Medford studios, on Mystic Avenue.

Let’s talk ACM. How did this arts center come to be?

I'm one of the founders of Arts Collaborative Medford, or ACM. I got involved in planning in 2017, when I was chair of the Medford Arts Council. A planning group was assembled, with representatives from key anchor arts and culture groups across the city, to revive an effort that dates back decades: creating a community arts center—a home for the arts.

Initially, we were looking at the Hegner Center in Fulton Heights, a city-owned field house that had been empty and falling apart for years. We received a large feasibility grant from the Mass Cultural Council, but the study showed the building would need about $1 million in capital improvements. Then COVID hit, and that process fell apart.

Around the same time, City Councilor Michael Marks brought us a very different opportunity: partnering with Theory Wellness, the licensed cannabis dispensary in Medford. The city required dispensary applicants to submit a package of community benefits to receive a license on a competitive basis.

Our application scored the highest. Theory was granted the license, and the process of rehabbing the old Colonial VW dealership on Mystic Avenue began. When we toured it, it was a disaster zone—the stairwell to the second floor was almost impassable because of boxes of paper piled from floor to ceiling. The roof was leaking, and the whole place needed gutting.

A very important part of our partnership is that Theory Wellness granted us 10 years of occupancy rent-free. That's a major contribution to us and to the city, because a small, independent nonprofit like ours just couldn't make it on rent alone. Not having to pay rent takes away a lot of financial risk and gives us a runway to plan for the future. This arrangement is unique—I haven't come across it elsewhere. We moved in late 2023 and opened in January 2024.

For those who’ve never stepped inside—what can people find at ACM?

Arts Collaborative Medford is a community arts center that provides space and opportunities for people to connect and experience creativity. Having a physical location where artists can rely on it being available day in and day out, where audiences can congregate, is critical civic infrastructure.

We're 10,000 square feet on two floors. We have about a dozen in-house artist studios that we rent to local artists. We have two large classrooms and a large event area on the first floor. This combination of smaller rooms and ample open space has made it very flexible—we can plug in a wide range of programming.

Since we opened, we've had 15 art exhibitions, dozens of music concerts, many workshops, and now a gift shop full of items made only by Medford artists. Almost all of our spaces are available for rent—we've hosted weddings, birthday parties, and memorial services.

We really think of ourselves as a multidisciplinary place. We have literary programming, including a monthly open mic series hosted by former Medford poet laureate Vijaya Sundaram. I run a monthly world poetry salon featuring 20th-century poets in translation. In the spring, we're planning a Poetry Festival in connection with National Poetry Month in April.

We have great partners—Down by Riverside Music brings concerts to our space, Ready, Set, Kids! uses our space for after-school programs, and we host a Sunday morning teen art club.

We serve everyone from beginners to nationally recognized masters. That's what makes us a community arts center.

How does ACM approach being a good neighbor?

Being a good neighbor is part of our values. We've made a lot of improvements to the exterior—we have two incredible murals, one painted before we opened on the front facade, and a new one that went up recently in partnership with the Mystic River Watershed Association. Next year, we'll make our front landscaping an art garden with rotating public art.

Our goal is to inspire other businesses and occupants along the Mystic Avenue corridor to make beautification improvements, ideally using local artists.

Being financially accessible is also key. Most items in our gift shop are $200 or less. We don't charge top-of-the-market rents to our studio artists. Our rental fees are accessible. We offer free or low-cost options wherever possible.

What are the ways people can get involved?

Admission is free during our scheduled hours, posted on our website. And we recently launched a membership program with three categories:

Community Member ($35/year): 10% off gift shop purchases and support for our mission.

Music Studio Access ($50/year): Access to a dedicated, soundproof practice room with keyboard and drum kit.

Artist/Maker Space Access ($100/year): Access to our maker space, which has a printing press, sewing machines, craft supplies, and working tables.

Beyond membership, people can take or teach a class, attend a reading or concert, visit our gift shop, or rent our space for events.

Open Studios is coming back—tell us more.

Longtime Medford residents remember West Medford Open Studios, which ran for 25 years. The nonprofit that organized it recently dissolved, and they approached us about taking over the program. We gladly accepted.

Starting June 2026, we're relaunching it as a citywide Medford Open Studios. This is something people have wanted for a long time—to expand the experience throughout the city.

We'll work with a handful of other organizations and institutions. We’re planning to charter a shuttle or trolley. You’ll likely see schools, Tufts University, City Hall, and other community spaces hosting artists.

The first citywide Medford Open Studios will be in June 2026. We're really excited about it.

How can people stay connected with ACM?

We have a newsletter, an easy-to-use events calendar on our website, and daily updates on Instagram and Facebook.

Arts Collaborative Medford at a Glance

Where: 162 Mystic Ave, Medford

What: A multidisciplinary community arts center with studios, classes, exhibitions, events, and more

Who’s welcome: Absolutely everyone

Expect: Creativity, connection, and a cultural hub built by Medford and for Medford

Pro tip: Start with a visit. Stay for a class, a concert, or a poem. Leave inspired.

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