Victor Bell: Sharing Joy

Victor Bell: Sharing Joy

While most artists would argue that the arts and culture have a positive effect on the world, it is often difficult to articulate concrete examples of how things are changed for the better through art.  For a young man who grew up in Princeton, New Jersey, the benefits of a culture soaked in education and the arts provided resources for learning and self-realization that launched him into a creative exploration of ideas and purpose, one that circles back into his community, further strengthening its strong foundations.

Victor Bell, Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence at the Arts Council of Princeton, is a sculptor with an idea – a comprehensive idea.  Coming late to clay, Bell earned his B.S. in Management Information Systems at Rowan University.  His plan was to join his father’s business and to assist his mother, an acrylic artist, in marketing her works.  “Both of my parents are creative people.  My dad is an inventor, so I grew up around the concept of bringing ideas into material being,” he says.  Late in college, he took a clay class.  “It was not a great experience,” he recalls.  “One of the early assignments was to make eight cups and six bowls, which I had no idea how to do.”  Yet, something made him seek out a clay class at the Arts Council of Princeton when he came home from college.  This time, he experienced an epiphany.

 

Bell became a regular student at the Council and gravitated toward sculpture.  He says, “Through clay I found the piece of myself full of wonder.”  He speaks of his creative “mind’s eye,” and of how sculpting enables him to “express thoughts I cannot put into words.”  When Bell’s girlfriend suggested he make a sculpture of his family dog, he found his métier.  “I was so excited to see it come out of the kiln,” he says.  Suddenly all his ideas about love, relationships, and the natural world coalesced in his hands.  Some friends were planning their wedding and Bell sculpted a dog as a wedding gift.   “A dog gives unconditional love,” he explains, “a perfect image for a marriage.”  For this piece, he drew on his memory of the many gargoyles that adorn the Princeton area buildings.  “These figures are about physical protection, and a dog can be a protecting force, too,” he muses.  “So, I added the element of spiritual protection for the couple to the piece.”

         

While still working with his family’s businesses, Bell used the resources of his environment to define his work.  “Every kid who grew up in Princeton has taken the gargoyle tour,” he says.  The community is rich in the arts.  Bell has distinct memories of regularly visiting the Princeton University Art Museum with his grandmother.  “I knew the Arts Council.  It was part of my growing-up.  I had taken some classes in improv there as a kid,” he explains.  In both his home and community, the ethos of creativity was present.  “I learned that creating is part of what humans do,” he says.

 

As Bell continued to explore the idea of dogs in his sculptures, new connections emerged.  “Dogs are part of nature,” he says.  “They take us back into the forest, to be one with a part of ourselves that has been lost.  And they are social animals who have adopted humans as their pack.”  Bell saw that his sculptures could serve to bring people into their proverbial pack – the community.  He thought of the places where we go to seek out our pack – the coffee shops, the small markets, the cinemas and clubs where we meet our friends – and he envisioned placing these works there to remind people about the unconditional love to which dogs inspire us.  He was ready to make his idea real.

        

His proposal for becoming an Artist-in-Residence at the Art Council caught the eye of Artistic Director Maria Evans.  “Victor’s proposal fits perfectly into the mission of the Arts Council,” she explains.  Building Community Through the Arts is the organization’s motto and it has a long history of creating a community that looks toward the arts for identity and fulfillment.  Bell’s project proposed creating a series of sculptures, which he named Dogoyles, to be placed in a dozen or so local businesses.  His primary goal was “to spread joy,” but through that joy, he hopes to encourage support for the local animal rescue organization, SAVE Animal Shelter.  Each piece with be displayed with a QR code that links the viewer to SAVE.

 

Bell uses a simple pinch pot technique to start each piece, building up the form with added legs and arms.  He keeps the throat open, creating a chimney through the eyes and nose for air to escape during the firing process.  He uses Standard 112 brown clay for the bodies and incorporates a white clay for teeth, horns, and other elements.  Each dog is created for a specific business and includes a nod to it.  The cinema dog sits in a box of popcorn.  As Bell progressed, he looked for a variety in glaze colors. “Most dogs are brown or black,” he says, “and I wanted more color.  The idea of dragons emerged, and I found myself adding blue and green wings to some of the dogs.”  Some of the works are of specific dogs while others are fully imaginary.  One of Bell’s favorites is of Artistic Director Evans’ dog, shown in a boat, with Evans at the helm, “pushing forward the arts.”

 

 

 

Bell’s works will be on display in local Princeton business from late May through December.  When they are removed, there will be a show at the Arts Council.  Bell envisions expanding to other communities, creating new dogs for new towns, capturing the magic of new places.

 

Bell’s project began in a very personal space.  He says, “It wasn’t until I got my hands into clay that my confidence in my artistic ability flourished.”  A subterranean creativity was rumbling, seeking articulation and realization, until the ideas emerged in the clay, in the form of dogs.  He says, “I want to make people happy and bring joy.  The feeling of joy is the same for everyone.  People connect through joy.”  Bell’s sculptures will make people smile or chuckle and many will click on the link, supporting the good cause of animal rescue.  Perhaps a few, like Bell and his girlfriend Amelia, will adopt a new family member, add to their pack, and make life much better for both humans and dogs.

 

For more information about Victor Bell, visit @victorebelll_art on Instagram

For more information about the Arts Council of Princeton, visit https://artscouncilofprinceton.org

Visit https://savehomelessanimals.org to make a donation or to inquire about adoption.