Helena Golden
Innovator
Willow Woman
Ireland
Cultural
Rural Areas
Rural village
The innovation journey
Helena Golden, a Leitrim-based basket maker, champions inclusivity, welcoming individuals of all ages and abilities to experience the tactile craft of Willow Weaving.
From community initiatives to corporate team-building activities, Helena’s workshops instil a deep connection to our ancestral traditions and Irish culture with an inherent sense of active mindfulness. This approach simplifies the traditional process, ensuring that people from all walks of life can enjoy the art of basket making, allowing each individual to create beautiful, functional baskets with ease.
The innovation impact
Helena featured as an expert basket maker in a video production project, led by Leitrim County Council Heritage office and Creative Ireland; she joined a local development company in a programme to tackle isolation by bringing people together to weave; worked with an Association of people with disabilities to foster wellbeing and capacity building; she collaborated with a local artist to combine skills and showcase creativity.
Helena has designed and offers tailor made courses for community groups, team building events and offers specifically designed packages for schools. She is a registered Heritage Specialist with the Heritage in Schools Scheme and has completed the prestigious TAP Programme (Teacher Artist Partnership) focussing on arts and creativity in school.
In these roles she actively engages children with the art and skill of basketry. Online workshops and classes are provided as an option to facilitate different groups and demands. All materials are provided for online workshops which are live and interactive. An online school of natural craft offers an alternative to live workshops. This option is centred on self-paced learning and is an on-demand video course.
There are five courses to choose from in this package.
“Cultural heritage is about so much more than the craft itself. It is about community, people coming together, memories shared, and stories told” (Helena Golden, Website).