Local artists donate custom art to support frontline workers during COVID-19 pandemic
HCA Houston Healthcare is proud to announce a partnership with Bayou City Art Festival known as HeART for Heroes, an initiative designed to bring visual art to hospitals as an outlet for frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic. This is a continuing partnership that organizers are eager to see evolve with the ever-changing healthcare landscape, and needs of frontline workers.
Participants include eight local artists, each who previously participated in Bayou City Art Festival: Lisa Morales, Summer Lydick, Kelly Grayson, Stacy Gresell, Elaine Lanoue, Hilda Rueda, Mathieu Jean Baptiste, and Curt Baldwin. All artists have donated their time and talent to seven of HCA Houston Healthcare’s 13 area hospitals to spread joy and show their appreciation for healthcare workers through art. Works include donated and custom pieces, temporary exhibits and wall murals. Participating hospitals include:
- HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake – Lisa Morales, artist | Donated piece
- HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood – Summer Lydick, artist | Temporary exhibit
- HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center – Kelly Grayson, artist | Donated piece
- HCA Houston Healthcare North Cypress – Stacy Gresell, artist | Donated piece
- HCA Houston Healthcare West – Elaine Lanoue, artist | Temporary exhibit
- The Woman’s Hospital of Texas – Artists Hilda Rueda and Mathieu Jean Baptiste | Temporary exhibit and wall mural
- Texas Orthopedic Hospital – Curt Baldwin, artist | Temporary exhibit
The donated art is currently exhibited at the above mentioned HCA Houston Healthcare hospitals. Some of the art is permanent and others will be displayed for month-long periods.
“We are honored to partner with HCA Houston Healthcare in its HeART for Heroes art project that brings the joy of art and much-needed healing during this unprecedented time,” said Kelly Batterson, executive director of Art Colony Association. “The artists of Bayou City Art Festival inspire us all with their heart and through their art to recognize, appreciate and show the community’s appreciation for healthcare heroes on the frontline.”
Kelli Nations, chief nurse executive at HCA Houston Healthcare, added: “Partnering with Bayou City Art Festival during this pandemic means a great deal to our colleagues and frontline workers. We are so grateful for the time and talent donated to support those dedicated to providing care during the pandemic. This partnership will spread messages of inspiration and hope as we all work together through these challenging times.”
All artists have temporarily donated their artwork for a limited timeframe with the exception of Lisa Morales and Stacy Gresell, both who generously donated a piece of their art, as well as Mathieu Jean Baptiste who committed to paint a permanent wall mural in The Woman’s Hospital of Texas. Baptiste’s mural is an artistic salute to the unsung heroes of the healthcare community, serving as a visual appreciation of their commitment to the health of women and babies.
“I understand this work can be tireless and the accolades are sometimes few,” said Mathieu Jean Baptiste. “It is my hope that nurses, doctors, and hospital staff will feel the love and appreciation in my mural and realize their heroic efforts have not gone unnoticed.”
To learn more about each artist and the inspiration behind their pieces, please read HeART for Heroes: Bringing Beauty to the Frontline.