Mr. Bell had many jobs as he was growing up and after he retired as a teacher. He was an art teacher in Rochester, New York, right after attending his first college. After he left that teaching job, he just went to school to have more experience and tried to be the best he could be. After he got his masters degree at Kansas, he became an instructor of art education at Kansas State University. He was also a teacher at Highland Training School. Then he was an instructor of art and education at the University of Bridgeport. After that, he went across the ocean, all the way to Japan, to the Canadian Academy of art and poetry. Then he went back to the United States and taught at Washington High School for 28 years.
Today, Mr.Bell is living a good life here in New Haven. He likes New Haven a lot better than some places, like St. Louis. Mr. Bell stated, “It’s a nice, friendly, comfortable town that is a perfect small town, that I love.” Mr. Bell is 73 years old, has a happy wife, an amazing daughter, and a 3-legged dog name Molly, who is an elkhound. He owns an art shop in downtown New Haven where you could go buy, sell, or even make your own art.
He even taught me how to make objects out of clay when I was a little kid. He is my role model because he is a good and helpful person and creative, and if I have any art questions, I ask him.
He has been my role model since I wanted to know what art is and what is part of art. If you want to know art like I did when I was a kid, go ask Alan Bell in downtown New Haven. He will gladly help you.
-by Kyle Luecke