Bill Helin facts for kids
Bill Helin is a talented Canadian artist. He creates art in the unique Northwest Coast style. Bill is a member of the Tsimshian First Nation. His family comes from the Gits'iis tribe in the village of Lax Kw'alaams, British Columbia. His father, Arthur Helin, was a commercial fisherman and a basketball star.
Art That Went to Space!
Bill Helin's art has actually 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 mission to the International Space Station in 2011.
Bill also designed five pieces of jewelry. These items flew into space on those same missions. Bill and his mother, Carole Helin, made a traditional button blanket. They created it for the Canadian Space Agency. The blanket's design matched Dr. Thirsk's uniform patch.
Carving Giant Totem Poles
Bill Helin is also famous for carving huge wooden sculptures. These are called totem poles.
In 1994, Bill carved a 40-foot-long dugout canoe. He named it the Ravensong. That same year, he worked on the world's tallest totem pole. It stood over 192 feet tall! This amazing pole was called the Spirit of Lekwammen. It was carved for the Commonwealth Games.
In 2013, Bill carved two more totem poles. Each one was 15 feet tall. He carved them from red cedar wood. These poles were for the Canadian International School of Hong Kong. Bill spent two and a half months there. He was their first artist-in-residence. During this time, he taught over 1,800 students. He taught them about carving and First Nations art and culture.
Illustrating Books for Kids
Bill Helin is also a talented illustrator. He has drawn pictures for many books. He is a cousin to the author Calvin Helin. Bill illustrated Calvin's 2006 book, Dances with Dependency. He also drew pictures for two other books by Calvin Helin.
Since 2014, Bill has worked with Strong Nations Publishers. This company is in Nanaimo, British Columbia. He has illustrated over 110 books for them! These books, along with other learning toys and products, are used in many schools and homes across Canada. They help teach children about First Nations culture and stories.
