FOUNDERS

Charles R. Hale

Charles R. Hale was born, raised and educated in New York. A descendant of New York City’s Irish famine immigrants, Charles is a former partner of a NYC based consulting firm Hale, Borenstein Ltd., which specialized in succession planning for family-owned and closely-held businesses. He has a Masters in cultural history and has had a number of his family and ancestral history essays published in literary magazines. Charles, a resident artist of The Cell Theatre, has written a number of historically-themed shows, including “The Musical History of the Lower East Side,” “New York City: A Shining Mosaic,” and “Jazz and the City: The New York Connection,” which are currently being performed in NYC. His film Walls: We Are Not Forgotten, about the life of  singer Judy Collins, was presented at the 2012 Eugene O’Neill Award ceremony, which honored Ms. Collins work in the arts and humanities. In 2013 Charles was honored by the City University of New York for  “Outstanding Service to New York and Irish America.”

 

“I’ve always been inspired by the flowering of artistic achievement, which often arises when cultures come together. Jazz is one of the great examples,” Charles says.  As a result, he was inspired to create a dynamic environment that allows for and promotes cultural collaboration and artistic achievement. 

 

 

Niamh Hyland is a singer/songwriter, entrepreneur, and executive raised in Co. Leitrim, Ireland. Niamh graduated from the University College Dublin with degrees in business and law. She is a member of the New York Bar and is currently an executive at Purpose, a global public benefit corporation dedicated to solving the world’s toughest issues.

Niamh toured globally as the lead singer of the original rock band Lily Sparks.

Niamh Hyland

Notable band and solo performances include The Ourland Festival at LincolnCenter, Wheelan’s in Dublin, Webster Hall and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Her love of the arts and her desire to help others find and reach their potential motivated her to co-found Artists Without Walls. Most recently, Niamh was invited to speak at TedxStormont in Belfast, Ireland, her topic: “Resurrecting Your Dreams”, https://youtu.be/0GGxZwWkAw4.

What Niamh loves most about AWoW is that “it creates a laboratory where people can experiment with their ideas in a safe space and collaborate with their peers in new untapped ways.”