Thursday, January 04, 2007

Goodbye, Dear Helen Hill


Today, at 5:30 this morning, a dear friend, Helen Hill, was murdered in her home in Marigny. Her house was broken into and she and her husband were both shot. Their two year old baby was there. Paul, the father survived the shooting. The baby is ok, safe with friends right now.

There will be a memorial for her tonight.

Please, everyone, pray, think thoughts of strength -whatever it is you do- for this family.

Kittie makes fun with Helen as they clean up
her flooded home in Mid-City


Both pictures are from Kittee Burns' livejournal website.

This from a post I put up on October 7, 2006

Helen Hill Open Studio

Today is New Orleans Art For Art's Sake, a day for people to walk around town checking out what is going on in galleries and artist's studios.

We went to Helen's studio today, where I made a playdough mermaid with her baby Francis and checked out her current project. Helen makes animated films and started the New Orleans Film Collective (cannot find a website).



She is making a film inspired by a bunch of flooded dresses handsewn by an ancient New Orleanian who recently passed away. She threads her own flooded story into that of this amazingly creative seamstress, named Floristine, through an examination of these dresses and imagining the woman's life.

It is called The Florestine Collection, and I cannot wait to see it completed! The story board is great.

Links about Helen Hill:
Atlantic Film-makers Cooperative
Program for Media Artists
Best of New Orleans

11 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
NolaNik said...

Below are comments posted today on the blog entry for October 7, 2006:

Billy wrote:

Goodbye, Helen.


Anonymous wrote:

Helen

wide eyed innocent
describes her so completely
joyful, happy, sweet, always smiling Helen
she was so happy to get back here...
when i saw her last Mardi Gras
they had a postcard campaign for folks to vote
should they come back or not?
they opened their hearts and arms to this city
they had so much to give
but not her life, why? what good is that?
life is so precious, so sweet,
so well used by some, like Helen,
so poorly understood by others,
like her killer, like all killers
they won't read this tribute
they wouldn't understand it

Helen, i loved you
i loved your innocence, your spirit
infectious happiness in your smile
fly away, Helen
we will gather together
we will try to take care
of your family

ze'

NolaNik said...

we will
we will

Anonymous said...

I saw your blog address on the news tonight with the picture of Helen.

I am sick with grief. I'm not ready to say goodbye.

NolaNik said...

I know. I am sick, too.

People are placing notes to her, pictures and flowers, as a testament to her spirit, love and energy, on her steps.

Anonymous said...

some of her friends from calarts and such are setting up a website in her memory.

We'll be making a photo album, links to her films, as well as memories and comments.

the website is helenhill.org

Please send photos, comments, memories, etc to memory [at] helenhill [dot] org

Unknown said...

Helen touched all of us in Halifax who knew her - she was wonderful. This is absolutely sickening.

Anonymous said...

Helen was my friend, mento and hero back in high school. I loved her calm, peaceful demeanor and love for the world around her. I am shattered that the world she loved so much has taken her from us. Godspeed dear friend, you will be with me for all time.

GJ said...

Linked on MetaFilter.

Anonymous said...

hello and goodbye

im sure you would not have ever remembered me but you came to csssa and taught me how to make a puppet. you taught all of us how to make a puppet. at first honestly i thought it was kind of boring. and this may seem corny but when i saw how much you loved your work and how much you wanted us to love our work i saw that. i respected that.

thank you.

Anonymous said...

Who killed her?????