helen mcbride richter was born and raised in new york city. the microcosm of the city offered her an early culturally rich framework for developing a love of the arts. as one of twelve children in a working class family in red hook, brooklyn, limited financial resources and mcbride richter’s teenage penchant for fashion fostered a keen interest in sewing. helen’s style was heavily influenced by her experience as a student of ms. e. shellman, a highly respected musician and visual artist from the harlem community who first introduced her to using textiles as an art medium. she attended textile design classes at parsons school of design, exploring the intersections of fashion, textiles and art.

like many working class families, traditional professional goals were emphasized, thus she pursued a nursing degree. subsequently she moved to atlanta, married, raised a family and earned a masters degree in midwifery at emory university. the social vibrancy of practicing with women and their families, however, galvanized her artistic thirst; she went on to study ceramics, watercolor, cloth dyeing and surface design while practicing midwifery full time. after her first workshop with nancy crow, mcbride richter decided to devote the remainder of her life to working through art.

professional workshops:

• abbas ahuwan

• dorothy caldwell

• nancy crow

• kerr grabowski

• david hornung

• adrienne king comer

• carol soderlund