ITAS Podcast Season 8, Ep.7
Jay Bell is a businessman, artist, printmaker, a founder of Campana Studios art non-profit, and a newly appointed Commissioner for Arts and Culture in San Diego County. This man is a whole orchestra of different roles and he is successful in every one of them. I love bringing guests like this on the show because we can learn so much from them!
Jay’s biggest goal is to create as many economic opportunities for local artists as possible and change the narrative of making artists volunteer their time and talent because their work should be valued and compensated! It’s a huge undertaking, and as a San Diego artist myself, I am the most curious to follow Jay’s journey.
Jump on this episode to learn more about Jay’s vision for the local Arts and Culture and how he applies his philosophy to his own non-profit work.
About Jay Bell
Jay Bell is California-based artist who was born in Allentown, PA, and was raised in Long Branch, NJ. The inspiration for his work comes from the emotional, physical, and metaphysical connections that we have with the land and people around us.
In his paintings and installations, Jay utilizes traditional Western conventions and formats to explore contemporary themes around migration, movement, destination and transition. Jay looks for universal points of connection and engagement in his vibrant paintings.
About Campana Studios
Campana Studios was founded in 2020 as an outgrowth of a community-wide art program that supported families facing food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic “Be Strong/Se Fuerte.”
The “Be Strong/Se Fuerte” program consisted of a community-wide fundraising campaign and coloring contest to support families on the free and reduced lunch program in Encinitas Union Elementary School District (EUSD). Each week, our proposed lead artist, Jay Bell, created a coloring book sheet that was distributed to over 5000 EUSD students, along with a fundraising request to every parent on the District email list.
The coloring contest provided a community-building event in a time of isolation and lack of art instruction for K-12 students. The program gave Campana Studios’ founder, Jay Bell, a vision for a community-based, visual arts organization that would connect artists with our communities.
Next, Campana Studios began programming in 2020 with free adult printmaking workshops and free after-school art programming for low-income, bi-lingual students from Paul Ecke Central School in Encinitas. Our work in the community is divided into programs and projects. We are currently serving multiple communities in the North County of San Diego.
Links and references
Jay Bell’s official website: jaybell.net
Jay Bell’s Instagram: instagram.com/jaybellart
Campana Studios website: campanastudios.org
Campana Studios Instagram: instagram.com/campanastudios
