Mary Bell Galleries celebrates three decades of bringing 'beautiful, enduring' artwork to Chicago 30th Anniversary public art showing and fundraiser on June 2 features works of 25 artists

Chicago, IL (May 2006) - When Mary Bell first opened her gallery in Chicago's River North neighborhood, both the district and the art world were very different. Bell, owner of Mary Bell Galleries, 740 N. Franklin St., Chicago, is celebrating 30 years of matching art and people.

"When you spend a lifetime doing something, you have to really enjoy it," Bell says. "It's fun to find the right piece of art, one that evokes enthusiasm in other people, and knowing that they get great joy from living with it."

The gallery will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Friday, June 2, 2006 from 6-9 p.m. with a special free public art showing and fundraiser (by RSVP only) featuring the work of over 30 of the gallery artists. There will be live music, cocktails and many of her artists will be on hand. Among them will be Tim Christensen, Roger Bechtold, Amy Hanks, Rick Stevens and Richard Taylor. Many of the artists have made special pieces just for this showing. A percentage of the proceeds will go to the ROTARY/One Foundation.

A Detroit native, Bell earned a degree in art history from Wayne State University and moved to Chicago in 1973. She began her art career at Samuel Stein Fine Arts. "I was a girl Friday," she recalls. "Then I got into sales."

In 1976, she decided to launch her own company. "I started out as a corporate art consultant working out of my apartment when my daughter was young," she says. After a few years, though, she needed to expand. "It got to be too much for my house."

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Mary Bell - A gallery district pioneer

One of the pioneers of River North, Bell first opened her gallery in 1979 on Hubbard Street and then moved into what is now the River North gallery district on North Orleans.

In those days, it was a pretty dismal area. "It was a little scary, especially at night," she remembers. "There were only two restaurants—Club Lago and the Green Door."

Bell had space in a converted warehouse shared by a number of galleries and counts herself lucky to have moved out just months before a disastrous April 1989 fire engulfed the block bounded by Orleans, Huron, Sedgwick and Superior streets, destroying several historic structures and a dozen major galleries, devastating the art community.

The art world was more rarified in those days, says Bell. "There were fewer galleries. There was a smaller audience. It was a much more elite world. Niche collectors concentrated on movements such as pop art, modern masters, abstract expressionism or conceptual art.”

"Today," Bell says, "more people are aware of and purchase original art."

Mary Bell Galleries today

Mary Bell Galleries works with both individuals and businesses, individual collectors come to her River North gallery and Bell still specializes in corporate art programs. Banks, hospitals, schools, and a wide range of other businesses have hired Bell to add beauty to their environments.

"I think corporations are just as concerned as individuals in getting good quality art," she says, "pieces that will be enduring."

Bell's clients have ranged from small offices to Fortune 500 corporations, with whom she develops art programs suited to the needs of their specific, often varied spaces. Her clients have included Harris Bank, SAS Institute, the Mayo Clinic, Salton Inc., United Airlines and the University of Chicago Hospitals. Recently, she provided the artwork, including a specially commissioned 8-foot bronze sculpture, for Central DuPage Hospital's new 400,000-square-foot mother/baby and ambulatory services pavilions.

"People really key into the art selection," she says "it is a special event for them. When companies buy art for their offices, employees feel the employer has given them something unique. It builds a lot of goodwill."
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Bell offers a full spectrum of artwork, to fit every budget and taste. She deals mainly in canvas, sculpture and works on paper, as well as site-specific custom commissions, and particularly focuses on larger works. "I have a range of things," she says. "I'm always looking for new artists."

In general, Bell works with established American artists at the peak of their careers. "It's all about what I like," says Bell. "My taste is eclectic."

Current gallery artists include landscape painters Scott Addis, Rodger Bechtold, Rick Stevens and Henry Coe; abstract artists Mark Dickson, Carolyn Cole, and Leslie Tejada; sculptors D.E. McDermott and Dennis Westwood; and photo artist Robert Berlin.

The secret of her success? "I have good taste,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. "Also, I have made a life long study of what makes great art and I think that's helped me.”

“In my experience there is a fine line between pretty good and terrific and I am always looking for that exceptional artist," Bell says. "I believe people like to live with beautiful, enduring paintings and sculpture in their homes and offices."

For more information about Mary Bell Galleries or to R.S.V.P for the 30th anniversary art showing and fundraiser on Friday, June 2, please contact the gallery at (312) 642-0202.


About the ROTARY/One Foundation

Since its founding, the ROTARY/One (R/O) Foundation has given several million dollars to support service projects of the Rotary Club of Chicago and not-for-profit organizations in the City of Chicago as well as international projects of Rotary International. The R/O Foundation grants have supported local programs for people with disabilities, abused women, food pantries , homeless shelters, home care for indigent elderly, and on the international level, PolioPlus and the clean water initiative, to name a few.

The R/O Foundation has also supported service programs of the Rotary Club of Chicago. These programs are both local and international. Examples of local projects are JobStart, the Pediatric Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, scholarships for students attending colleges and universities in the Chicagoland area, and leadership programs for Chicago high school students. Examples of international service projects supported are Gift of Life, which provides heart surgery for children from other countries; Sun Ovens, which provides solar ovens to areas of the world where natural fuel is not available for food preparation.

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The Rotary Club of Chicago’s Signature project, JobStart, is an example of the ripple effect a grant from the R/O Foundation has made on youth in the Chicago community. Begun with a grant given in 2004, the R/O Club partnered with the City of Chicago’s Mayor’s KidStart Corporate initiative to secure corporate summer jobs for Chicago high school student and resulted in nearly 100% increase in summer jobs from the previous year. Club members participated as employers and recruiters of other companies for jobs and they participated as mentors to the students. This year the program continues to grow and broaden to other Rotary clubs throughout the state to increase employment opportunities for the youth of the various communities in which Rotary Clubs are located.

The Rotary movement, which is worldwide with membership of over one million people, began in Chicago at the Rotary Club of Chicago in 1905—the first service Club in America where business leaders became community leaders. Millions of children’s and adults’ lives have been saved or drastically improved through various service projects of Rotary clubs throughout the world.

The ROTARY/One Foundation, Inc. through the generous support of Rotarians, their families, friends and colleagues helps make a critical difference in Chicago as well as other parts of the world. For more information on the ROTARY/One Foundation, please visit the website at www. Rotary.org

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Lee Barrie / Cindy Kurman
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