ART IN ‘THE REAL WORLD’

Sculptor gets break on MTV reality show

by Jen Jones

Published in the January 3rd 2008 edition of the Dundalk Eagle (DundalkEagle.com)

A bit of happenstance and a lot of hard work came together to give artist Jacqueline Bell a unique way to share her art with the nation —through the set of The Real World.

The Delvale Avenue native was perusing the online craigslist.org one slow afternoon at her desk job, at which she manages a corporate office building near her home in Chino Hills, Calif. She came across a bid for artwork to be placed on the set of MTV’s long-running reality TV show.

Bell contacted the show’s producer, who asked her to drop off some of the sculptures she thought would fit the upcoming season’s green theme. “Hollywood studios are [nearby], and producers are looking for a way to cut costs,” she said.

The new season, the show’s 20th, is set in Hollywood. It is slated to air in the first quarter of 2008, although an exact date had not been released as of press time.

Each season, the show brings seven young adult strangers to live together in a new city and tapes them 24 hours a day. The show is often cited unofficially as the forerunner of the modern reality show, and it is the longest-running program of its kind.

This Real World season is the first to incorporate “environmentally friendly household and lifestyle choices” and the first to feature a fanselected cast member (one of seven), according to an August press release from MTV. “Pretyboy” of Daytona Beach, Fla., won an Internetbased competition of over 20,000 entrants for the coveted spot.

Bell’s sculptures that will appear on the show are roughly six to 12 inches tall and are composed of recycled materials, some from previous projects and some from other uses.

She describes one piece, recycled from a bar lamp, as parts that “all blend as lines in space.”

Bell said she never realized other people weren’t as “passionate” about art until she attended Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts, which helped her find her calling. She earned her diploma in 2000 as a member of the second graduating class of the arts magnet program.

The catalyst for her move to the West Coast was college. She earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the former California College of Arts and Crafts, where she majored in Jewelry/Metal Arts.

The school changed its name to the California College of the Arts for marketing purposes, which disappointed Bell. “The school was founded on the arts and crafts movement,” she said. “They could have done a better job of marketing that.”

She still visits the East Coast, staying with her parents, Dan and Judy Bell, in a Berkshire rowhome that’s accented by her works.

Marketing is a subject with which Bell is familiar. In fact, she wants it emphasized more in schools. “Knowing how to establish yourself as a professional is important,” she said.

She believes it’s something that many artists undervalue. She and her mother-in-law, Michele Johnson, plan to advocate for a more wellrounded education for aspiring artists, one that would teach more technical skills and how to create an artist’s résumé, which she points out is different from that of, say, a journalist. Contacting the National Endowment for the Arts and getting involved with a countywide improvement project near her home in California are the first steps for artists, she said.

In September, she and two of her friends rented a hall and put on a show titled Unprofessionals, which basically means an exhibit for “artists with day jobs,” Bell said. No sales were made during the show, but she was happy with the result: a good time and always-welcome exposure.

Though Bell majored in sculpture, it’s not her only love. She creates dazzling jewelry, for example, and sales for that have been strong. “It’s better to choose a medium to create your idea than make your idea fit your medium,” she said.

She believes it’s important for artists to keep all their skills sharp, a point she proved while on a honeymoon cruise with her third-generation Californian husband, Brett Johnson, who she married in June.

A fellow traveler from Miami looked through her sketchbook and bought a drawing on the spot.

To purchase art by Bell, or just to admire her work, including photos of pieces that will be featured on The Real World, check out the Web site www.sylasstudios.com.

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