Upcycling at the Mill: Hand Sewing Workshop

(ages 12+ and adults) 
$18 Materials and Instruction fee
Space is limited

Give new life to old textiles in this hands-on workshop at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation!

With 11.5 million tons of fabric wasted annually, upcycling offers a creative way to reduce waste while learning hand sewing, embroidery, and darning techniques. Held in the historic mill where America’s textile industry began, this class connects past and present by transforming worn clothing into something new.

Bring your own fabric items and reimagine them with sustainability and creativity in mind! 

NextGenSTEM Fest is a different STEM festival

To learn all about the Fest and the planned activities and workshops, visit:

With funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) the NextGen STEMFest celebrates the 75th year that the NSF has played in incubating and supporting innovation and discovery that has changed and improved the lives of so many in the United States. At the NextGen STEMFest come let your curiosity wander with interactive learning activities and experiences from some of the worlds top STEM companies and University research labs. You will see and learn about regenerative medicine, new biotechnologies, hear from young people about their college STEM experiences, learn about physical computing, and more.

You can sign up to learn how to use a laser, how to 3D print nearly anything, screen printing at Massachusetts’ only youth-led innovation maker-space, the Charles River Collaboratory located at the Charles River Museum of Industry of Innovation.

While you are at NextGen STEMFest you can also visit the Charles River Museum of Industry which will be free to visitors for the day and at the same time just a few hundred yards away is will be the famous Watch City Steampunk festival.

Mill Talk: Living the Harpsichord Life; Building and Breathing the Instrument

presented by Hendrik Broekman

This is an IN PERSON Event, FREE to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

 Join us for a night at the Charles River Museum with Henrik Broekman where the small talk question of “What do you do for work?” will be expanded into a curiosity-driven discussion of what it is like to pursue your bliss and fully immerse yourself in the world of harpsichords. Throughout his decades of experience in this industry, Hendrik has found himself constantly asked about the craftmanship behind these exquisite instruments, how they are manufactured, and more. He will be answering these questions while sharing what it is like to build and create a career centered around harpsichords.

Henrik Broekman has been a pioneering craftsman, musician, and harpsichord builder for over 50 years. He worked with both Frank Hubbard and Eric Hertz, though most of his career was spent as Technical Director in the Hubbard Shop. He took over operations after the retirement of Diane Hubbard in 2000 and still plays, repairs, and builds harpsichords.

Upcycling at the Mill: Hand Sewing Workshop

(ages 12+ and adults) 
$18 Materials and Instruction fee
Space is limited

Give new life to old textiles in this hands-on workshop at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation!

With 11.5 million tons of fabric wasted annually, upcycling offers a creative way to reduce waste while learning hand sewing, embroidery, and darning techniques. Held in the historic mill where America’s textile industry began, this class connects past and present by transforming worn clothing into something new.

Bring your own fabric items and reimagine them with sustainability and creativity in mind! 

Mill Talk-Reinventing Cotton: Entrepreneurship and the Future of Production

presented by Luciano Bueno

Free to the Public, REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Join us at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation for a talk with Luciano Bueno who will explore how bold entrepreneurship is redefining the cotton industry through the lens of future-forward production. From lab-grown breakthroughs to cutting-edge technologies, he will share how next-generation ventures are transforming the way we make things—faster, cleaner, and smarter. This isn’t just about cotton; it’s a glimpse into the industrial revolutions of tomorrow. Luciano will dive into the challenges, the untapped opportunities, and how entrepreneurial vision can lead to massive impacts.

Luciano Bueno is an American Brazilian entrepreneur who started his journey at 16, selling t-shirts door-to-door to support his family. Doing so he learned grit, hustle, and the art of turning no into yes. Today, he is the founder and CEO of GALY, a frontier tech company pioneering a new age of production through cellular agriculture. Starting with cotton, GALY’s process is 10x faster, 500x more productive, and 80% more resource efficient than production methods—creating new possibilities beyond the constraints of land, weather, or infrastructure.

Before founding GALY, Luciano built a career in consulting, auditing, startups, and venture capital, working across sectors like global payments, retail, textiles, and agriculture. He also helped launch two innovative schools in Brazil. He holds a business degree, completed postgraduate studies in biotechnology at MIT, and earned an OPM from Harvard Business School, with executive education at Stanford and other learning institutions.

Luciano moved to the U.S. as an EB-1 Green Card recipient, known as the “Einstein visa,” and continues to mentor young entrepreneurs, volunteer with the Red Cross, and pursue passions like travel, chess, and extreme sports, His mission is clear: build world-changing companies and empower the next generation of builders.

Luciano’s philosophy: Hard work outpaces smart work every time, and those who believe they can or can’t are usually right.

Mill Talk: The Finals Days of the Central Mass Branch

presented by Rick Kfoury

This is an IN PERSON event, Free to the public
REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Once a famous through-route between Boston and Northampton, by the 1970s the Boston & Maine Railroad's Central Mass Branch had seen better days. Yet there was still activity to be seen and photographed, and important history to document. This presentation will provide a visual look into the final years of railroad operations on the Central Mass Branch west of Waltham; included are photographs, documents, and some film footage.

Rick Kfoury is a railroad historian and author with an express interest in New England railroading in the second half of the twentieth century. He has authored four books on the subject, The New England Southern Railroad Volumes I and II, Queen City Rails: Manchester's Railroads 1965-1990, and Steam Trains of Yesteryear: The Monadnock, Steamtown & Northern Story.

A 2018 graduate of the Keene State College history program, Rick currently serves as President and Newsletter Editor for the Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society and is employed in college admissions for Southern New Hampshire University.

The Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization composed of people who want to share their knowledge, and learn more about, the history and operations of the Boston and Maine Railroad, its predecessors, and successors. The Society was founded in 1971 and consists of over 1,000 active members from the New England region and beyond.

Mill Talks at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation are free and open to the public and are made possible by the generous support of the Lowell Institute.

Mill Talk: Mother Brook: The Evolution of Industry Along the Country’s Oldest Power Canal

presented by Judy Neiswander

Excavated between 1639 and 1641, the Mother Brook canal in Dedham is arguably the oldest power canal in North America. The waterway connects the Charles and the Neponset Rivers by way of an inland spring-fed brook. This created a fall of water that was strong enough to power the town’s first grist mill. Join us at the Charles River Museum for a night with Judy Neiswander who will be discussing industrial uses of the canal and East Dedham’s evolution into a powerhouse of textile production.