Maria Arena Bell, an Emmy-winning writer, producer and arts leader, was selected as chair of the LA28 Cultural Olympiad, the celebrated arts and culture platform that has accompanied the Olympic Games in every host city for more than 100 years, officials announced Thursday.
LA28, the entity organizing the 2028 Olympic Games, which will be held in Los Angeles, described Bell as an experienced executive and founder of Vitameatavegamin Productions, as well as an arts advocate with more than three decades of experience. Bell's priorities will be to listen and collaborate with the city's arts creators, champions, organizations and institutions to shape the LA28 Cultural Olympiad.
"Los Angeles is a city built by artists," Bell said in a statement. "As the world's attention turns to Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we have an incomparable opportunity to showcase our vibrant and diverse arts scene for our own community, and for a global audience, highlighting one of the world's most creative places."
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She added, "This program will put a spotlight on our incredible culture, expressed across many mediums throughout greater Los Angeles."
LA28 and Bell are expected to work closely with the city of Los Angeles' Department of Cultural Affairs, the L.A. County Department of Arts and Culture, along with partner institutions, community organizations and creators to ensure the success of the Cultural Olympiad. Bell will serve in her role as an unpaid volunteer with the LA28 organizing committee and report to LA28 Chairman and President Casey Wasserman, according to LA28.
The LA28 Cultural Olympiad will feature artistic content and programs, and highlight the region's cultural institutions' performances, events and exhibitions, the organization said. The program will be staged in the year preceding and during the Summer Games, and also feature an education component for students across the region.
"We are thrilled that Maria Bell will direct the LA28 Cultural Olympiad, one of the largest worldwide events that will simultaneously promote arts, culture and sport and energize the Games," Wasserman said in a statement. "Maria is uniquely qualified to lead and organize the LA28 Cultural Olympiad through her 30 years of experience as an executive, founder and champion of the arts."
Bell, a native Angeleno, also served as the board chair at The Museum of Contemporary Art; chaired P.S. Arts, providing arts education programs in L.A. County and the Central Valley; and was appointed to the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Commission.
In her role as the board chair of MOCA, from 2009-2014, she brought forward exhibitions such as Art in the Streets and led efforts to raise a $100 million endowment for the museum, according to LA28. She has worked closely with artists as well, such as Marina Abramovic, Doug Aitken, Takashi Murakami, Rob Pruitt and Francesco Vezzoli in realizing large-scale interventions that transformed museum galas into immersive artist experiences, the organization said.
From 2003-2007, Bell chaired then later served as president of P.S. Arts, an organization that serves thousands of children by bringing art into Title 1 elementary schools, leading signature fundraisers for over a decade.
For more than 30 years, Bell has worked in Hollywood, leading writing teams through her decades of work. She has worked on the television soap opera "The Young and the Restless," and the documentary film "The Warhol Effect."
Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Reynold Hoover was named last week as chief executive officer of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Hoover will direct the committee's day-to-day work and report to Wasserman.
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