Helen Norsigian Rowles was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, to first generation American parents of Armenian descent. Her Armenian cultural roots both shaped and influenced her childhood. Helen’s mother was an artist who gave her children access to the arts at an early age. The magnificent St. Louis Art Museum was a frequent trip across the Mississippi River for the family. The first major exhibit that Helen saw as a child was a retrospective showing of Van Gogh’s paintings that has remained clear in her mind to this day.