ACP’s Spring 2025 Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence Victor E. Bell celebrates his love for rescue dogs through ceramic “dogoyles”, to be on view throughout our community this spring.
(PRINCETON, NJ) -- The Arts Council of Princeton (ACP) has announced Victor E. Bell as their Spring 2025 Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence.
Bell loves dogs – especially rescue dogs – and the unconditional love we receive from them. He also loves his Princeton community and so, the idea for dogoyles, a magical mix of dog, dragon, and gargoyle, was born. Bell crafts these whimsical ceramic sculptures specifically for locations throughout town that have special meaning to him and so many in our community. His finished sculptures will be on view in the location that inspired them beginning in late May this year.
“Dogs bring us together as a pack in the same way that tasty food and fun bring us together as a community”, Bell shares. “That feeling of protection from your pack’s love is what my sculptures are all about.”
ACP’s Spring 2025 Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence Victor E. Bell celebrates his love for rescue dogs through ceramic “dogoyles”, to be on view throughout our community this spring. This popcorn bucket dogoyle is headed to the Garden Theatre.
Bell grew up in Princeton and graduated from Rowan University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in MIS. During his last semester, he took one ceramics class, but could not foresee the art form becoming such a big part of his life. “I work for my family’s small business and, until recently, I did not consider myself to be much of an artist. About 3 years ago, I got my hands back into clay and I am so grateful. I started taking beginner ceramics classes at the Arts Council where I found a passion for sculpting dogs.”
After getting a solid foundation of skills, Bell continued his practice at Mud Matters, a studio in New York City. Even early in the development of his ceramic practice, Bell knew his goal was to somehow use his clay sculptures to help rescue dogs.
Why dogs? In 2018, Bell's family rescued two dogs that changed their lives. “The unconditional love that a dog teaches us is truly otherworldly”, he shares, and this feeling of protection is what Bell aims to capture in his sculptures. “Similar to how a gargoyle protects a space by scaring off bad spirits, my gargoyle-esque creatures bring forth the same feeling of safety which a dog provides.”
At the conclusion of his project, 12 of Bell’s finished dogoyle sculptures will be on view in the location that inspired their creation and have special meaning to him and the Princeton community as a whole. The following neighborhood fixtures will display a dogoyle from May through September: Princeton Garden Theatre, Small World Coffee, Community Park Pool, Conte’s, Princeton Record Exchange, Labyrinth Books, JaZams, Princeton Public Library, Bent Spoon, Hoagie Haven, SAVE, and home base, the Arts Council.
Each dogoyle will feature a QR code on their label linking to SAVE and encouraging viewers to give back to rescue dogs and discover this unconditional love for themselves.
“Through creating with my own emotions for my dogs, my hope is these whimsical beasts can inspire others to create with their hands, hearts, and minds.”
The Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence Program, named after ACP Founding Director, was established by the Arts Council in 2009 to offer artists the opportunity to conceptualize and create work while providing the community with creative interaction with working artists in all disciplines. This project would not be possible without the support of Timothy M. Andrews, longtime supporter of the Arts Council of Princeton, who has generously underwritten the Anne Reeves Artist-in-Residence program.
The Arts Council of Princeton, founded in 1967, is a non-profit organization with a mission of building community through the arts. Housed in the landmark Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, designed by architect Michael Graves, the ACP fulfills its mission by presenting a wide range of programs including exhibitions, performances, free community cultural events, and studio-based classes and workshops in the visual, performing and literary arts. Arts Council of Princeton programs are designed to be high-quality, engaging, affordable and accessible for the diverse population in the greater Princeton region.
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