Bell was a long-time board member of the Sydney [[Sculpture by the Sea]] exhibition. He was a board member from 2006, and became its chair between 2010 and 2016. He is credited with being instrumental in developing the event from an organisation barely able to stage two large exhibits in Sydney and [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], to a well established bodynon-for-profit cultural institution regarded as the peak body for sculpture in Australia.<ref name="Sculpture">{{cite web |title=Governors of Sculpture by the Sea |url=https://sculpturebythesea.com/about/life-governors-of-sculpture-by-the-sea/ |website=Sculpture by the sea |access-date=21 July 2020}}</ref> He introduced key changes such as a universal minimum income for artists in the Sydney exhibition, and later covering the costs of the heavy installation equipment for artists in both Sydney and Perth. He also developed initiatives such as "Sculpture at [[Barangaroo]]", held in 2016 and 2017, as well as the Sydney Sculpture Conference at the [[Sydney Opera House]].
Bell would attend opening nights in Cottesloe wearing a Hawaiian shirt. In 2011 he escorted Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary at the Sydney exhibition. Bell was later alleged to have said that his meeting with the Crown Princess was the highlight of their trip to Australia in 2011. At the 20th anniversary dinner for Sculpture by the Sea in 2016, Bell took the stage with a photograph of the Crown Princess with himself looming in the background and exclaimed how delighted the princess looked at seeing him.<ref name="nsw.gov.au"/>
