• How The Helis Foundation’s healing art garden will inspire recovery through beauty

By Anne Paglia | Photo: Ochsner Archives

Nature and art can be powerful tools for healing. An abundance of research has shown that exposure to nature and experiences centered on art can improve well-being and combat mental health issues like depression, stress and anxiety. For people living with neurological disorders and undergoing difficult treatments, the healing power of nature has the potential to be even more potent.

Thanks to a generous $250,000 donation from The Helis Foundation, a healing art garden will be created in the courtyard of the new Ochsner Neuroscience Institute. Combining natural and artistic elements—including a water feature, walking path and sculptural art—the healing art garden will provide a soothing outdoor experience for patients and their families. With different ground gradients and textures, the garden will double as a place for recovering patients to practice their mobility skills.

“The idea is that by creating a place of repose in a beautiful setting, with beautiful art, we will help improve the emotional state, and thereby the physical state, of people who are undergoing medical treatment and provide comfort to their families,” said David Kerstein, President of The Helis Foundation.

When Ochsner first approached The Helis Foundation with plans to build the garden, the project struck David as a natural fit. As the primary arts benefactor in New Orleans, The Helis Foundation allocates resources to public arts projects across the city, as well as funds for general community-oriented projects in the region. “We are highly engaged in the arts, particularly sculptural arts, so there was a natural alignment of one of our missions with the healing art garden,” David said.

The Helis Foundation’s contributions to the New Orleans metropolitan area include the Poydras Corridor Sculpture Exhibition, a rotating installation of 40 sculptures by local and international artists, and The Helis Foundation Enrique Alferéz Sculpture Garden at the New Orleans Botanical Garden. The foundation also provides free admittance to leading art museums in the city for Louisiana residents through a program called Art For All. For Ochsner patients and their families, free and accessible art can make a world of difference.

Mrs. William G. Helis presents a check to Alton Ochsner for $250,000 payable to the Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation. Behind them, left to right, are Richard Freeman; Dr. Robert Bernhard, trustee of The Helis Foundation; William G. Helis, Jr., trustee of The Helis Foundation; and J. Blanc Monroe.

A rendering of The Helis Foundation Healing Art Garden at Ochsner Neuroscience Institute.

“Much of our focus is on providing inspiration and dialogue, with art being the launching pad,” said Jessie Haynes, Managing Director of The Helis Foundation.

The foundation’s long-standing relationship with Ochsner was another reason to support the healing art garden. William G. Helis, Jr., who started the foundation in 1955, once served on Ochsner’s board of trustees. In the 1950s, the foundation made a significant donation to help build laboratory facilities at Ochsner’s Jefferson Highway location, which was new at the time.

“The healing art garden is dedicated to the memory of William G. Helis, Jr. because he was deeply involved with Ochsner and was an important figure in the Ochsner community,” David said. “We’re very happy to be part of this relationship among Ochsner, The Helis Foundation and the Helis family, which goes back many years.”

In carrying on this important partnership, the generous donation will create a place of peace for countless patients and their families. Though still a work in progress, the garden’s serene landscape and carefully curated sculptures will be designed to enrich—and potentially expedite—the healing journeys of all who enter. For those on a path to wellness, the gift of healing is priceless.

“We know that art provides comfort and inspiration,” Jessie said. “I’m excited to see the peace the sculptures may provide to the garden’s visitors.”

their families. ”