BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Michael Bell is a renowned American artist, author, TED speaker, and visual journaling pioneer. He is best known for his larger-than-life-sized narrative series paintings and his clientele, which includes John Gotti, Dominic Capone, and numerous actors from "The Sopranos," "Goodfellas," and "A Bronx Tale," among others.
In addition to his success as an artist, Bell has made significant contributions to education. He is a National Board Certified Teacher and a former three-time National Award-winning Teacher of the Year. Bell has been honored with numerous awards, including the QACPS 2024 Outstanding Leadership Award and the prestigious National Art Education Association (NAEA) 2024 National Administration and Supervision Art Educator Award, a distinction bestowed upon just one Art Supervisor in the entire nation. In 2022, Bell was awarded the NAEA National Supervision & Administration Eastern Region Art Educator of the Year Award and the November 2019 Maryland State Arts Leader Award. He has also received recognition such as the Washington Post's Agnes Meyer Teacher of the Year Award, the CollegeBoard's William U. Harris Award, and the National Art Education Association's NAHS Sponsor of the Year Award. Additionally, Bell has been honored with the Lycoming College Dr. James Douthat Outstanding Achievement Award and the Los Angeles Good Shepherd Community Service Award. He is a seven-time back-to-back NAEA Rising Star award-winning visual arts educator and a three-time National Scholastic Art Gold Medalist Arts Educator.
FULL BIOGRAPHY
Michael Bell's journey as an artist began at an early age when he won 1st Place in his first art show at the tender age of five. As an emerging artist, Bell spent a lot of his time in and around New York City, studying art with his maternal grandmother, Violet Vallery, a self-taught artist from Lyndhurst, New Jersey. This is where Bell began to explore life's psychological issues through his paintings.
Throughout his career, Bell has not only excelled as an artist but also demonstrated a deep commitment to various charitable causes. In 2005, he was honored with the Los Angeles Good Shepherd Domestic Violence Community Service Award for his dedication to creating handmade sketchbooks for women and children in shelters across LA. His advocacy work extended to collaborating with prominent figures such as Georgia Durante and Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, to raise awareness about domestic violence.
Bell's journey helping others through art further manifested in his poignant portrait of Amanda Todd, a teenager from Port Coquitlam, B.C., who tragically took her own life after experiencing years of bullying. This portrait garnered international attention and served as a catalyst for Bell's partnership with Carol Todd, Amanda's mother, in their shared mission to combat bullying and promote mental health awareness.
In 2012, Bell's commitment to social change led to a collaboration with renowned artist Eric Fischl on projects centered around human rights advocacy, contributing projects based on our 30 Human Rights for Fischl's AMERICA: NOW AND HERE movement, which included a Barbara Kruger wrapped truck. This sparked an impressive Super Session of Bell's innovative 31 Nights project at the NAEA Convention in New York City, and has prompted numerous keynotes and workshops across the United States, furthering solidifying Michael Bell’s place as a prominent contributor to the art world.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of art education, Bell was honored with the 2022 NAEA National Supervision & Administration Eastern Region Art Educator of the Year Award at the National Art Education Association National Convention in New York City. This accolade underscores his enduring dedication to using art as a catalyst for positive change and his unwavering commitment to empowering communities through creativity and compassion. Just two years later, Bell was awarded the QACPS 2024 Outstanding Leadership Award and the prestigious National Art Education Association (NAEA) 2024 National Administration and Supervision Art Educator Award, a distinction bestowed upon just one Art Supervisor in the entire nation.
In addition to Bell's notable accomplishments in the art world, he has generously donated his time and thousands of dollars through the sale of his paintings to support various charities. His philanthropic efforts have extended across Maryland, Delaware, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, where his artwork has made a significant impact at charity auctions.
Beyond his artistic endeavors, Bell has explored new creative avenues, including writing a screenplay based on the real-life events surrounding his famous "Ticket to Ride" painting series. This series was first showcased at a solo exhibition in Manhattan, attended by some of Bell's celebrity portrait clientele. This event marked the beginning of Bell's partnership with HBO's The Sopranos star, Joseph R. Gannascoli. Together, they collaborated on artwork for Gannascoli's CUGINE Cigar Line and organized a portrait unveiling event with Sopranos stars Dominic Chianese and Frank Vincent. The proceeds from this event benefited Bright Steps Forward, supporting their Educational Academy for Autism and furthering Bell's commitment to making a positive impact beyond the canvas.
In 2018, Bell became Supervisor of Visual and Performing Arts, World Languages, and School Library Media. He immediately took his blueprint for creating prominent art exhibitions to launch ArtScene in 2019, which is now one of the largest TWO K-12 student art exhibitions in the state of Maryland, in addition to helping the district earn Seal of Biliteracy Awards, creating the district's first Arts "Teen of the Week" features in the local news. In October, 2018 QACPS took 1st place honors in the state of Maryland in Visual Arts, swept the high school student art awards at the Academy Art Museum Show in Easton, and in November, 2019 Bell was awarded the Maryland State Department of Education's Art Leader Spotlight. Since then, QACPS has earned the districts' first ever Scholastic Art awards at both high schools; National Art Honor Societies and AP Art and Design courses were also established at both high schools for the first time in QACPS history. Students also earned All-State in Dance and Music in 2020; and QACPS was recognized as one of the nation's "2020 Best Communities for Music Education". This has all led to Bell's 2022 National Eastern Region Supervisor of the Year Award, where Bell was honored to receive this award on behalf of all the teachers he works so hard to champion now. His mission in arts education is to encourage all teachers to "stay artists". Recent accolades include the QACPS 2024 Outstanding Leadership Award and the prestigious National Art Education Association (NAEA) 2024 National Administration and Supervision Art Educator Award, a distinction bestowed upon just one Art Supervisor in the entire nation, distinguishing Bell as a leader in arts education nationwide. That's an important reason he's a nationally respected leader in arts education and why he's in-demand as a keynote speaker and visual journaling pioneer across the US.
Bell holds a BFA from Lycoming College, a M.Ed. in Art Education from Towson University and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Administration and Supervision from McDaniel College. Contact Michael Bell to book him as an inspiring keynote speaker; inquire about future gallery exhibitions or to commission an original work of art.
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