Helen Butler

Helen Butler, MFA, Spiritual Justice Artivist, is an artist, educator whose work emerges at the intersection of narrative artmaking and social justice. Inspired by performance artist and activist Vinnie Burrows, she began her career performing stories drawn from African American poetry. In New York City she spent her evenings performing classics from the Black diaspora with Ernie McClintock’s repertory company—an immersive creative period that shaped her lifelong commitment to art as a catalyst for social change. She expanded her practice to include quilt making and fiber crafts.

In recent years, Butler has woven processes of craft-making and theatre together to invoke self-reflection and community engagement. The craftmaking invites viewers to contemplate contemporary life, while as the theatre process invites audiences to co-create and strengthen social ties.