Taking o with Helium Arts Helene Hugel, BA (1997), of Helium Arts talks about her journey from artist to CEO and bringing art and creative expression to children with lifelong health conditions It was in Temple Street Hospital that Helene Hugel got the Arts, philanthropists and volunteers. ‘Ireland recognises the revelation which inspired her move from artist to CEO: ‘I was arts’ importance. I don’t think I could have done this in the US.’ at a child’s bedside doing a shadow puppet performance, using the bed as a mini theatre. The child’s mother said, “We’ve been coming here, in and out for years, and this is the first time I’ve seen my child smile in hospital” – and I just thought my God, this is one child, and I’m one person, and there are thousands of children with these needs: there has to be more than one of me.’ With 12% of Irish children living with illness/disability, Helium focuses on scalable outreach. ‘Bedside theatre will only ever reach a few children. In outpatients, where children wait at least 20 minutes, we reached 5,000 last year. Artists engage them in painting, tattoo design or poetry – parents and doctors report children arrive more relaxed.’ She put together a proposal, applied to the Arts Council for funding, and began building up a team. Helium was established a few years later in 2010 as an NGO committed to improving the well-being of children living with lifelong physical health conditions. In 2018 Helium was delivering art programmes to 300 children; today they work with more than 5,000 children nationwide in hospital outpatients, community centres and online. It was such rewarding work, seeing the joy in children’s faces Helium also provides workshops on Saturday mornings in community spaces. ‘There is always a medic present at the workshops and that is really important. Some parents say it is the first time they’ve le their child. They encounter barriers: sometimes the barrier is their own fear, but o en the venue itself won’t take a child with health conditions because of insurance risks. Having a medic present removes Helene’s has been a journey guided by equal parts - intuition those barriers. And, as one parent said, “My daughter doesn’t and application. Originally from upstate New York, she came have the physical capacity to do sport, but anyone can do art”.’ to Ireland as an 18-year-old on a whim – ‘a friend wanted to go on a bicycle trip. We came o the ferry at Dún Laoghaire into the mists and I just fell in love with the country. Dublin was small but dynamic, and Trinity was this oasis in the centre. It struck me deeply. I wanted to follow that feeling.’ Online is the third piece in the delivery. ‘We deliver workshops in ten counties, but through online we can reach everyone. It exploded during the pandemic, when our participation level grew by 60%. These kids o en had to self-isolate because of compromised immune systems – it was a lonely and isolating Studying English at Trinity, she apprenticed with Lambert time and our classes were a lifeline.’ Puppet Theatre and joined the Trinity Arts Workshop. ‘Animating literary narratives in my head helped me “see” the text.’ She co-founded – with Niamh Lawlor, her future business partner – Púca Puppets a er graduation, touring Ireland and Britain with physical, visual theatre contrasting Ireland’s aural, text-based scene. Helium now employs 20 people, including four part-time artists, and works with another 30 freelance artists. The medium-term ambition is to deliver workshops in 16 counties by 2029, and reach 20,000 children, and to help kids who, through Helium workshops, have found their purpose in art and now want to develop careers in the arts. A er five years, seeking to apply art di erently, she became an artist working in hospitals, via The Ark in Temple Bar, ‘seeing joy at the bedside was rewarding.’ Five years later, her Temple Street epiphany prompted a di icult shi : ‘It was hard to step away, but this had to be bigger than me.’ Helene believes Helium can be a global model of excellence for bringing art and creative expression to children and young people living with lifelong physical health conditions: ‘Other countries may have similar programmes but they tend to be localised. Ireland is small country with an integrated health Helium grew with support from the Arts Council, Social system. I think we can be a model of what it’s possible to Entrepreneurs Ireland, ReThink, Creative Ireland, Business to achieve with a national programme.’
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