Dav Bell, New Executive Director for Mendocino Art Center (Photo courtesy of Dav Bell)
MENDOCINO, CA — The Mendocino Art Center has hired Dav Bell as its new Executive Director. Bell has fifteen years of experience as an educator and art director in Los Angeles and Santa Cruz. He holds a BFA degree from UCLA and a MFA from UC Santa Cruz in a specialized program. He has also studied visual art at Metáfora School Of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, Spain.
Centered in Los Angeles, he founded and directed LA Art Space and the Visitor Welcome Center. In Santa Cruz, Bell worked on The Greenhouse Project, an extension of his master’s program in Environmental Art & Social Practice.
The MFA program is designed for careers in the art world and academia, focusing on effective engagement with society at large. The philosophical approach focuses on “environmental justice, social justice, public policy, multimedia art practices, criticism, and theory.”
His experience in designing and directing art spaces allowed him to “create active environments where legacies of the past, sacrifices made, stories of those who came before us converge with the present to create a place where norms are challenged, critiques are welcome, and accountability is paramount.”
MAC has been reorganizing and establishing a closer connection with the public. The hiring of Bell could signal passing MAC to a younger generation who will synthesize the organization’s mission and attract more artists, students, visitors, and donors.
MAC has been committed to the arts and the thriving communities that art can reach. Bell views the pairing of art and healing as “crucial to community building, personal relationships, transformative justice, and systemic reform.”
In his brief five weeks on the job, Bell has spent significant time initiating conversations with the public about their support of MAC and the possibilities of the center exploring new directions.
However, Bell does not dismiss the importance of MAC’s history and traditions. He said, “It’s about how to honor legacy but also how to do better.” He continued, “It’s about seeing what was left out of the legacy and then making sure we can bring that to the forefront.”
In regards to the future of MAC, Bell said, “It’s all about talking to the community. It’s not about an agenda; it’s about active listening. This type of work is collaborative. It’s not a top-down approach.”
Given his dedicated belief in the power of inclusivity and diversity, Bell hopes to bring in a widely diverse group of artists whose art will present new viewpoints to spark conversation in the community over time.
The focus would be on artists deeply engaged in a community who Bell described as “artists who want to build expansive relationships wherever they go and work and teach.”
In a presentation to the MAC Advisory Committee, Bell confirmed that none of the presentations or workshops by guest artists hold any political ideology. The purpose is to use art to connect people who might otherwise be unable to.
For some art viewers, it could be an opportunity to actively re-examine the human condition through the eyes of artists who have had experiences radically different from their own.
Bell noted, “It is about how art engages different audiences in the general public and how to have the general public engage with art.”
He continued, “I think of galleries and institutions as classrooms.” The ideal art created by a self-fulfilled artist should be, he said, “an effective tool for communication.”
In his conversations with local community members about MAC, Bell found that the community “really wants to be a part of it again and see it thrive.” Regarding the impact of any negative remarks he has heard, he said, “It becomes derisive when we let it become derisive.”
Bell stressed the need for more accessible art classes, which would require a funding structure that would pay art teachers so that fees would be significantly lower.
Bell also believes the MAC needs to draw in more artists in the surrounding communities who have formed collectives. “We need to build a better bridge,” he said. “I’m very excited to be here.”
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The Mendocino Beacon
