Bill Helin facts for kids
Bill Helin is a talented Canadian artist. He creates amazing art in the Northwest Coast style. Bill is a member of the Tsimshian First Nation, an Indigenous group from northwestern British Columbia. His family comes from the Gits'iis tribe in a village called Lax Kw'alaams.
Bill's father, Arthur Helin, was a fisherman and a basketball star. He also came from a line of chiefs in the Gitlan tribe of the Tsimshian Nation.
Bill Helin's Amazing Art
Bill Helin is known for many different types of art. He is an illustrator, a jewelry designer, and a writer. He also designs logos and gift products. Bill is also a storyteller and a drumming specialist.
Art in Space
Bill Helin's art has even traveled to space! He designed three special patches for astronauts. These patches were worn on the U.S. space shuttle Columbia in 1996.
Later, he designed two more patches for Canadian Astronaut Dr. Robert Thirsk. Dr. Thirsk wore them on his second trip to the International Space Station in 2011. Bill also worked on other important projects for the Canadian Space Agency.
Five pieces of Bill's jewelry were flown into space on these missions. Bill and his mother, Carole Helin, also made a traditional button blanket for the Canadian Space Agency. This blanket was made in the style of Dr. Robert Thirsk's uniform patch.
Carving Tall Totem Poles
Bill Helin is also a skilled carver. In 1994, he carved a 40-foot-long dugout canoe. He named this canoe the Ravensong.
In the same year, he helped carve the world's tallest totem pole. This amazing pole was 192 feet and 3 inches tall! It is known as the Spirit of Lekwammen and was carved for the Commonwealth Games.
In 2013, Bill carved two more totem poles. These poles were 15 feet tall and made from red cedar wood. He carved them for the Canadian International School of Hong Kong. Bill was an artist-in-residence there for two and a half months. He taught over 1,800 students about carving and First Nations art and culture.
Illustrating Books
Bill Helin has also illustrated many books. He is a cousin to the author Calvin Helin. Bill illustrated Calvin's 2006 book, Dances with Dependency. He also added many images to two other books by Calvin Helin.
Since 2014, Bill has illustrated over 110 books for Strong Nations Publishers. These books, along with other learning toys and products, are used in many schools and homes across Canada.
