Born in Virginia Beach, Virginia USA in 1988 Danielle Hein is a citizen of the world. In moving to New Orleans, Louisiana from Orlando, Florida in 2014, a new love was rooted and opened up within the grit and grace of The Big Easy.
In 2019, Miss Hein fully committed to her craft, leaving corporate America and becoming a full-time artist. With reference to her nomadic home life she has exhibited works all over: New Orleans, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Buffalo, London, England, Rishikesh, India and more.
A distinctly positive and bright color palette found within all celebratory states is a feature of Hein's work. A decided effort toward positive public influence and a natural expression of interpretation is at the core of Miss Hein's environmental and artistic action.
My current project is on a mango and coconut farm in Tamil Nadu, India. An enigmatic and magic space, this project is a special, focused effort towards biodiversity and agroecology. This is a thoughtful response to deep consideration of the post- covid-19 world.
The refusal to act decisively on behalf of all humanity would be "a moral failure on a scale unparalleled in history." - United Nations Human Development Report 2008
We are setting up vermicompost and honeybees, storm water remediation, hardwood mulching, and regenerative organic agriculture.
The Frenchmen Street Community Garden was acknowledged by the American Planning Association with the 2022 Great Public Place award! This community garden is a green space and wildlife habitat in the 7th ward of New Orleans. Certified with the Louisiana Wildlife Federation and the National Wildlife Federation, the Frenchmen Street Community Garden's purpose is to directly develop citizen-led green infrastructure at neighborhood scale. The focus of this collective effort is a community garden for the benefit of New Orleans residents. The area nurtures beautiful ecosystems as well as creating public education projects from a community living with climate change.
The Frenchmen Street Community Garden is a community corner with environmental information presented and open dialogue on remediation, development, public policy, and community planning approaches ongoing. The garden is defined by volunteer effort: resident participation is the heart of the project.
Planting native species, controlling weeds, clearing storm drains, and constructing gardening infrastructure projects help reverse soil degradation, encourage a diversity of bugs, birds and wildlife, reduce erosion, and improve rainwater collection in the 7th ward.
The garden is well-maintained, safe, welcoming, and accommodating for all users. The place exemplifies resplendent design and sturdy public architectural features as well as a layout that is visually beautiful and functionally relevant. The Frenchmen Street Community Garden really is a great public place in New Orleans, Louisiana! It promotes community involvement and reflects the rich participatory history of New Orleans' 7th ward
...that when properly harvested grows even faster. Two weeks in Bali, Indonesia at Bamboo U was revelatory...
In a small Indian mountain town called Mohan Chatti about 50km outside of Rishikesh, India, nestled in the lower Himalayan mountains, I completed a 500hr course on meditation and yoga teacher training at the Sattva Yoga Academy. The teachings are based on the ancient Vedic texts and designed to inform holistic living: a life full of gratitude, abundance, personal will, and wisdom in community.
I remained in study at the Sattva Yoga Academy and completed a course on the Chandogya Upanishad as well as an intensive Jyotish Level One foundations course. In Sanskrit, the word Jyotish translates as “science of light,” and refers to the profound and mathematically sophisticated form of astrology and astronomy originating in the ancient Vedic traditions of India.
After Jyotish, I created a mural inspired by the Indian Lotus at the entrance of the place that I called home for more than six months.
Arts Council New Orleans partnered with Canal Place Shopping Studios to offer artist studio and exhibition space. Over the course of eight-month residency, I explored creative practices aimed at activating the studio space incorporating open studio tours, exhibitions, installations, live performances, headdress workshops, and more. Visitors can now experience yet another group of talented artists at SALON studios and visit during gallery hours.