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About
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Bell Fire Arts Collective
Bell Fire Arts Collective was born from a shared vision: to ignite a vibrant, forward-thinking arts community that connects our unique Adirondack home to the broader creative world. We reject the myth of “Adirondack isolationism” and instead serve as a beacon--celebrating, amplifying, and showcasing the diverse and dynamic voices shaping our artistic landscape.
From writers and filmmakers to painters, sculptors, and storytellers, we champion artists who challenge, inspire, and redefine what it means to create in this region. Through exhibitions, readings, signings, and performances, we bring bold, inclusive art to life both in person and online because we believe the Adirondacks aren't just a place to retreat. They're a place to spark something extraordinary.
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Mac MacDevitt
I am a founding member of Bell Fire Arts Collective and has produced SpeakEazy Storytelling Open Mic in Plattsburgh and storytelling shows in Essex. . He jumped into personal storytelling in Chicago facilitating story circles and telling stories at venues across the city. For Mac personal storytelling deepens understanding and empathy and creates community.
I did not begin to emerge as an artist until I was in my 60s. I spent much of my working life as a teacher, a therapist and a facilitator who worked building community coalitions.
I designed and built a SkyYurt, the first of a planned series of SkyHigh Shelters to be used by a band of nomadic artists and crafters. I exhibited the frame at the 2013 Champlain Makers Faire.
In Chicago, I developed the MyLai Memorial Exhibit, a 2000 square foot traveling exhibit with a set of sculptural interactive art components. I took the exhibit on tour to Veterans for Peace chapters in 15 different cities in 2018 and 2019. www.mylaimemorial.org
I am drawn to reconfiguring parts and pieces from my existing or failed projects. In 2023 I was an artist-in-residence at Craigardan where I continued work on a series of outdoor sculptures using parts and pieces from my original SkyYurt project.
In 2024 I received an Individual Artist Grant from NYSCA and installed a series of five, temporary, site-specific SkyBeam Sculptures in partnership with Champlain Area Trails at the Essex Quarry Preserve.
When sharing my work I am aware that many visitors have a creative self. I value setting up conditions where viewers/visitors can become participants/ collaborators and also experience attentive respect from the artist for their contributions.
William Gillies
Bill Gillies is a Willsboro, NY-based artist, and the current Director of the Adirondack Art Association in Essex, NY. He is a graduate of the Hussian School of Art in Philadelphia and has had an extensive career as a pre-press and graphic artist for over 30 years. With his illustration background and eye for design, some of his free lance projects include house renderings for new home construction sales, wall murals for various homes and businesses including Busch Entertainment Corp., specialized sign work, corporate identity and logo work. His current plans include working in fine arts and re-starting his sign and graphics business.
Christopher Locke
Christopher Locke is a poet, essayist, playwright, and fiction writer. Sometimes all at once. Born in New Hampshire, he received an MFA from Goddard College. His latest poetry collection MUSIC FOR GHOSTS (New York Quarterly Books) and memoir WITHOUT SAINTS (Black Lawrence Press) were both released in 2022. Chris received the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Award, the Black River Chapbook Award, and grants in writing from Fundacion Valparaiso (Spain), the New York State Council on the Arts, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. He teaches creative writing at SUNY Plattsburgh.
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Alex Clark
"I've been reconnecting with my love of collage and sculpture since 2022, when things started reopening from the pandemic. I was also introduced to live storytelling that summer by Mac and immediately fell in love with it. Getting back into the practice of artmaking and storytelling is connecting me with both local and international creatives and has become vital to my overall wellbeing. Both visual art and storytelling give me a space to explore the absurd, uncomfortable, and unconventionally beautiful parts of life."
