LIVE from Michael Bell's Cannon Street Art Studio in historic Chestertown, Maryland, for the 2026 MAEA State Conference!

Join nationally recognized artist and educator Michael Bell for inspiring conversations with art educators and arts leaders from across Maryland's Region 4, celebrating the creativity, connections, and powerful stories behind the art of great teaching!

In partnership with Chestertown RiverArts and MAEA, educators came together for a day of artistic exploration, including junk journaling with teaching artist Marianne Sade and visual journaling workshops facilitated by Bell. Through two powerful prompts, "What do you give?" and "What feeds you?", participants reflected on the personal and professional experiences that sustain their creativity.

"Art educators spend so much of their lives inspiring creativity in others," Bell shared. "This was an opportunity to turn that spotlight back on them."

The experience brought together 14 QACPS art teachers, marking record district participation in the regional conference, and continued with the Sixth Annual QACPS Faculty Art Show in Centreville.

The celebration culminated October 17 at Towson University's Center for the Arts, where three QACPS art educators received distinguished honors: Laquel Nenno, Educator as Practicing Artist; Shannon Francis, Elementary Art Educator; and Andrea Schulte, Secondary Art Educator.

In an inspiring full-circle moment, Bell received MAEA's prestigious Linda Popp Leadership Award, following a nomination initiated by Schulte, one of the very educators he had nominated for recognition.

From conversations around the podcast microphones in Chestertown to the statewide celebration in Towson, this special episode captures the relationships, creativity, and shared belief in the transformative power of arts education.

Their art. Their stories. LIVE from Chestertown!

View article on Michael Bell winning the prestigious Linda Popp state leadership award in art here: https://www.myeasternshoremd.com/qa/community/qacps-arts-supervisor-honored-with-prestigious-linda-popp-leadership-award/article_727bd287-9172-42e1-91a4-34ae19d11a76.html

In this episode of ArtScene | the Podcast, Michael Bell welcomes textile designer and educator Jennifer Rhodes, founder of the Chesapeake Weaving Collective in Rock Hall, Maryland, alongside special guest co-host Lisa J. Gotto.

From a childhood fascination with color to a lifelong career in textile design, Jennifer shares her creative journey, the importance of sustainable fibers, and her passion for preserving the art of weaving. Together, they explore the unexpected paths creativity can take, the impact of arts education, and how one thread can connect generations and communities.

This podcast is part of Bell's Creative Community Access (CCA) Voices initiative, made possible in part through the Kent County Small Business Impact Grant.

Local artists and entrepreneurs. Their art. Their stories. In addition to her current roles as a contributing editor and writer for the Chestertown Spy and various Maryland-centric publications and platforms, Lisa is the principal owner of Tea Leaves Media, LLC, a marketing, communications, and content generation company; tealeavesmedia.com.

What happens when the place that first gives you permission to become an artist becomes the place you return to help others discover the same thing?

On this episode of ArtScene: The Podcast, Michael Bell sits down inside his Cannon Street Art Studio with Kris Kelley, artist and Assistant Director of Chestertown RiverArts, for a deeply personal conversation about art, memory, identity, resilience—and coming home.

Kris first found an artistic community in Chestertown as a teenager, long before she could have imagined returning years later to help lead the organization that grew into RiverArts. With a background in both psychology and art, her creative practice moves across photography, stained glass, mosaic, sculpture and mixed media, often exploring the complicated places where memory and lived experience meet.

Michael and Kris talk about who gets to call themselves an artist, why community matters more than competition, the objects that carry our memories, and what can happen when art gives difficult experiences somewhere to go. Kris also shares the story behind her involvement in Sole Strength, an exhibition centered on the stories of domestic violence survivors, as the episode arrives at the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

And the conversation comes full circle when Kris steps beyond the microphone and into Michael’s Creative Community Access (CCA) initiative herself, reflecting on her experience in one of his free Intro to Visual Journaling workshops.

This is a conversation about more than making art. It’s about finding your place, leaving it, seeing it differently—and sometimes choosing to come home.

CCA Voices is part of Michael Bell’s Creative Community Access initiative, expanding ArtScene: The Podcast to amplify the artists, stories and creative lives shaping Chestertown.

I think that final bold sentence before the CCA boilerplate is the sell:

“finding your place, leaving it, seeing it differently—and sometimes choosing to come home.”

That's Kris's episode in one line, and it also ties beautifully into what you've been saying in the podcast about how sometimes home hasn't changed nearly as much as we have. It gives this episode an emotional identity instead of reading like “Episode with the Assistant Director of RiverArts.”

Want a preview? Watch a 60-second clip from Kelley’sconversation, recorded inside Michael Bell’s Cannon Street Art Studio, as she reflects on her experience with CCA Visual Journaling and why it offers an accessible way into art for everyone at: https://www.youtube.com/@mbellart/shorts

Learn more about Bell’s CannonStreet Art Studio, CCA and upcoming experiences at mbellart.com/studio.

Michael Bell’s Cannon Street ArtStudio312 Cannon StreetChestertown, MarylandMBELLART.com

What happens when the art of hospitality meets the art of storytelling?

In this episode of ArtScene | the Podcast, Michael Bell sits down with Hilari and Dave Rinehart, owners of Brampton 1860, a historic 35-acre estate just outside Chestertown, Maryland, to talk about entrepreneurship, memory, hospitality, and the kinds of experiences people carry with them long after they leave.

The conversation also introduces a new partnership between Brampton 1860 and Bell’s Cannon Street Art Studio, where Brampton guests can now book three private artist-led experiences:

Love Letters — an intimate couples experience using writing, visual journaling, and shared artmaking to reconnect with memory, conversation, and one another.

Drawing the Line — a deeply personal visual journaling experience exploring identity, memory, place, and the invisible lines connecting the chapters of a life.

Saints & Sinners — a playful collaborative art experience for small groups combining music, movement, blindfolds, and abstract artmaking inspired by the Seven Deadly Sins.

And in one of the episode’s most unexpected moments, Hilari and Dave agree to try the opening of Love Letters on the spot. Given two completely different prompts and writing privately without knowing what the other has been asked, they both independently return to the same early moment in their relationship.

As Bell reflects during the episode, these experiences aren’t really about learning to draw.

They’re about seeing.

Seeing another person again. Seeing your own story differently. And creating something meaningful enough to stay with you.

Because maybe your next masterpiece doesn’t hang on a wall.

Maybe it’s a conversation.

Learn more about Brampton 1860 and the new experiences at bramptoninn.com and MBELLART.com.

Practice What You Teach | Michael Bell on K12ArtChat

In this special featured episode of ArtScene | The Podcast, nationally recognized arts educator Michael Bell joins Laura and Matt Grundler on K12ArtChat, the nationally distributed arts education podcast published by Davis Publications.

Together, they explore creativity, visual journaling, artistic identity, leadership, and the importance of remaining an active artist while serving others. From process over product and authentic storytelling to arts advocacy and lifelong learning, this conversation examines why creativity matters now more than ever—for educators, artists, and anyone seeking to reconnect with their creative voice.

Originally aired as Episode 255 of K12ArtChat and now featured on ArtScene | The Podcast.

#K12ArtChat #ArtScenePodcast #VisualJournaling #ArtsEducation #Creativity #ArtsLeadership #ArtistLife #DavisPublications #PracticeWhatYouTeach

In one of the most emotional and inspiring episodes of ArtScene | The Podcast to date, Michael Bell welcomes Queen Anne’s County Public Schools 2026 Teacher of the Year Alice Tickler into Bell's Cannon Street ArtStudio for a deeply personal conversation about literacy, humanity, grief, and the transformative power of helping children believe in themselves.

A National Board Certified Teacher, LETRS facilitator, and state-level literacy leader, Tickler shares how her journey as both a mother and educator reshaped the way she approaches reading instruction, advocacy, and connection. What began with watching her own son Jake struggle with literacy became a lifelong mission to ensure every child feels seen, supported, and capable of success.

Together, Bell and Tickler explore the idea that literacy may be one of the very first artforms children ever experience — rooted in storytelling, imagination, identity, and voice.

The conversation dives into:
• The Science of Reading and structured literacy• Creativity inside literacy instruction• Teaching multilingual learners through connection and empathy• The emotional realities children quietly carry• How grief and personal tragedy has transformed the way Tickler sees students, how her son Jake inspired her and how the children she teaches continue to inspire her every day• Why relationships matter just as much as curriculum• The power of helping children rewrite the stories they believe about themselves, and the power of communities

Filmed inside Bell’s Cannon Street Studio and joined by QACTV, this episode is a reminder that teaching is never just about academics.

In Jake's memory and honor, this episode is about inspiring all of us to do all the "Little" things.

Because at its best, teaching is art.

For more on Michael Bell and his art visit https://mbellart.com

To view a recent video from QAC-TV on Bell's new Cannon Street Studio visit: https://youtu.be/_h1Kf-q8E3M?si=pW86JZwmldPNOqdh

Step inside one of the Eastern Shore’s most powerful celebrations of student creativity.

In this special 45-minute episode of ArtScene | The Podcast, recorded LIVE at TPAC at the 4th Annual Eastern Shore Arts Festival at Chesapeake College, host Michael Bell captures the energy, emotion, and artistry that defined the day. From award-winning senior visual artists to dynamic performances and professional dancers and guest teaching artists from the Carole Cascio Fund, this episode brings you behind the scenes of a festival that continues to grow as a regional force in arts education.

Hear directly from student artists, dancers, and featured professionals as they reflect on their work, their process, and what it means to share their voice with a live audience. This episode highlights the impact of authentic artistic experiences—where risk-taking, collaboration, and expression come together in real time.

Featuring conversations connected to:

• The 3rd Annual Senior Show and student award winners
• Guest artist Yoav Kaddar (West Virginia University)
• The Carole Cascio Fund’s work connecting students with professional artists
• A growing partnership between Dr. Robert Thompson, Director of TPAC at Chesapeake College and Queen Anne’s County Public Schools

This isn’t just a recap—it’s a window into what happens when students are given the space, support, and stage to create something meaningful.

🎙️ "Because the most important job of any artist… is to draw a line from their life to their art". - Michael Bell

What does it take to go from the classroom… to a national stage? In this special live video episode of ArtScene | The Podcast, recorded on location at Kent Island High School in partnership with QAC-TV, host Michael Bell sits down with 2026 National Art Education Association Rising Star Award recipient Olivia Valenti—a senior, artist, and leader whose journey represents the very best of arts education.

Fresh off the national stage in Chicago, Olivia reflects on the moment she was recognized in front of art educators from across the country—and the years of dedication, discipline, and purpose that led her there.

Joining her is her teacher, Andrea Schulte, Visual Arts Department Chair at KIHS and a nationally recognized educator whose impact reaches far beyond the classroom. Together, they explore the power of mentorship, the importance of student voice, and what it really means to build a program rooted in connection, opportunity, and excellence.

The episode also features senior National Art Honor Society (NAHS) student leaders:
Grace Hartlove (Vice President), Madison Gorski (Treasurer), and Lindsey Smoot (Secretary), who share their perspectives on leadership, collaboration, and the culture that defines the KIHS art program.

This conversation goes beyond awards and accolades—it’s about the process behind the moment.

Because as always—the work is just the surface… it’s what’s underneath that people feel.

🎨 Experience it for yourself at ArtScene:📍 Queen Anne’s County High School – April 28 (5–8 PM)📍 Kent Island High School – April 30 (5–8 PM)
Free and open to the public

On Host Michael Bell:Outside of his work with QACPS, Michael will be opening a private working art studio in Chestertown, MD this spring—continuing his work as an artist through public workshops and studio intensives under MBELLART Productions, LLC.
🎥 Preview the space here: [YouTube Short]

By Appointment Only.

info@mbellart.com