We welcome community partnerships with schools, nonprofits, community groups, municipalities and private businesses to bring creative self-expression to a wider audience. We love to open our doors to arts organizations that need space to run creative programs that benefit our community. If you are interested in creative collaboration, email our Arts for All Coordinator at artsforall@fyamelrose.org.

Our Art Commons meetups will provide a space for individuals in our local community who share a social identity to connect with each other while making art. 

The goal of Art Commons is to build creative community as well as increase access to the arts to underserved, historically marginalized groups, including individuals who are seniors, disabled, or identify as Queer and/or BIPOC.

Arts for All will provide space, facilitation, and art supplies for these community-building events at no cost to the participants (though donations will be gratefully accepted). 

Interested in having FYA host an affinity group meet-up and/or interested in facilitating such a group? Please contact artsforall@fyamelrose.org.

Chalk Walk is FYACS’s annual fundraiser for Arts for All, which promotes equity and inclusion by providing tuition assistance, adaptive services, outreach programs to underserved communities, and free community arts & culture projects for all. 

• City of Melrose/Parklet Art: Mentored HS youth to design and create murals for parklets
• Junior Artisan Market: Supported Young Artisans ages 5-17 in sharing and selling their artwork. The Spring 2023 market was sponsored by Melrose Arts. 
• Melrose Arts Festival: Facilitated a community project in collaboration with MHS Environmental Club and Keep Melrose Beautiful.
• Melrose YMCA: Installed permanent mural boards on exterior wall for community murals.
• Melrose PRIDE: Collaborated with MVMMS and MHS GSA, DPW and FUMC on a permanent rainbow crosswalk, collaborated with Melrose HRC on Pride Day activities and a temporary mural
• Melrose Commission on Disability: Co-hosted a storytelling event centering stories of individuals with lived experience of disability.
• Melrose Public Library: Facilitated a collaboration with one of our Emerging Youth Artists. 
• Melrose Open Studios: FYACS hosted tour maps, provided a free community art activity, and FYACS Artists in Residence hosted open studios. 
• Milano Center: Facilitated creative writing workshops. 
• MLK Jr Day of Service: Facilitated a project in collaboration with The Food Drive and Melrose HRCJ. 
• Native American Style Flute Circles: Hosted open flute playing sessions with instructor and musician John Gass. 
• Visual Descriptions Tour: Hosted a free Visual Descriptions Tour, designed for those who are blind or low vision, of the Art of Words III exhibit.

• Arts in the Afternoon: Massachusetts Cultural Council grant funded event with Circus Up! which included a community art project at the Melrose Farmer’s Market (2021) 
•  MLK Jr Day of Service: Community project in collaboration with Faith Ringgold. (2021) 
• Chalk Art in Melrose: In collaboration with the Melrose Alliance Against Violence, with funding by the Melrose Messina Fine Arts Fund, a mural supporting MAAV’s Candlelight Walk and Vigil went up on the wall of the YMCA and invited spectator participation.
• Melrose Public Art: FYACS worked with the Melrose Public Art Initiative to facilitate the development and installation of 8 public art works in Melrose. Learn more here. (2020-2021)
• Zooming into Creative Art: We partnered with Riverside Community Care to provide virtual art classes to their families.
• Filmmakers Collaborative: We love to open our doors to arts organizations that need space to run creative programs that benefit our community. Filmmakers Collaborative ran their Stop Motion Animation program in the Big Yellow House.