The healing power of art comes to local hospitals.
Installation of artwork aims to reduce stress, increase hope at Houston hospitals
Mathieu Jean Baptiste is one of a number of Houston artists who were devastated when the coronavirus caused the cancellation of this year’s Bayou City Art Festival.
The painter, who resides in Pearland and has a studio in the Silos, participated in the festival for the first time last year, selling one of his largest pieces.
“This year, I was ready to do it again,” Jn Baptiste said.
He received an email alerting him to the bad news. “It’s not something any artist would want to hear,” he said.
Then another letter came, asking if festival artists would instead be interested in showcasing their work in an area hospital.
HCA Houston Healthcare partnered with Bayou City Art Festival to create “HeART for Heroes” — a program showcasing art to brighten the days of nurses, doctors and other staff members working through the pandemic.
Jn Baptiste jumped at the opportunity.
“Last year was good for me,” he said. “I wanted to pay that forward.”
Plus, he knew exactly where he wanted to show his gratitude: the Woman’s Hospital of Texas. That’s where he was when his wife, Crystal, gave birth to their twins, son Walter and daughter Payton, on Sept. 12, 2012.
He started the 9-foot by 23-foot painting on a wall in the hospital’s cafeteria on July 1 and finished the mural in three weeks, working behind a curtain so the final piece would be a surprise at the unveiling on July 23.
Jn Baptiste is one of seven area artists with artwork now hanging in HCA Houston hospitals through HeART for Heroes. Other participants include Lisa Morales, Summer Lydick, Kelly Grayson, Stacy Gresell, Elaine Lanoue, Hilda Rueda and Curt Baldwin.
They have all created temporary exhibits or donated work to Texas Orthopedic Hospital and the Woman’s Hospital of Texas and HCA Houston Healthcare West, Clear Lake, Kingwood, North Cypress and the Medical Center.
“Viewing art reduces stress and anxiety,” said HCA Houston Healthcare chief nurse executive Kelli Nations. “Now, everyone can take a moment and see something beautiful.”
Hospital staff, patients and families benefit from the art, she added.
“We’ve already been getting positive feedback,” Nations said. “Art is therapy. Everyone enjoys having art to welcome them and seeing it on breaks in their day.”
For Jn Baptiste, his family’s strong connection to the Woman’s Hospital of Texas was a great starting place.
“It’s art welcoming new babies to the hospital — and thanking nurses, doctors, janitors from the bottom of our hearts,” he said.
Jn Baptiste’s art usually delves into an important topic. He spent seven years exploring climate change on his canvases. Recently, he focused on bees and how they tie into a healthy environment.
His mural at the Woman’s Hospital of Texas is no different. The artist spent time carefully considering the place, the dedicated staff and their mission to come up with his design.
Giving thanks would be a key function of the piece, Jn Baptiste decided.
“Even during COVID-19, these people are still going to work,” he said. “I wanted them to know that their work isn’t going unnoticed.”
There is also a family presented in the mural, with the woman placed in the front to symbolize her leadership.
“I wanted to show a woman as the superhero, which is something society doesn’t like to show,” Jn Baptiste said. “I have a wife and daughter. I’m very aware of women’s efforts in everyday life.”
The painting also depicts a colorful dahlia, which, Jn Baptiste explains, symbolizes knowledge and inner strength. The rainbow heart badge worn by the nurse symbolizes the hospital’s commitment to the care of every human life. The nurse’s face takes the form of the Woman’s Hospital of Texas symbol, showing colleagues united as one through their mission. The heart symbol in the background, between the nurse and baby, represents love and respect.
There is also a bee and a hive, to reflect the importance of teamwork at the hospital.
Jn Baptiste said that while sometimes women can feel neglected or disregarded at hospitals, his family experienced the opposite at the Woman’s Hospital of Texas.
Jn Baptiste has painted murals before in his native Haiti and appreciates the way public art is welcomed there.
“I feel that murals can reach a bigger mass of people,” he said. “You see a mural, and it might change your day.”
Nations said that with fewer visitors in the health care centers, to reduce the spread of the virus, there is a quiet similar to that at a gallery.
Now there’s art to match.
“I hope this is the beginning of a larger partnership,” Nations said.
All of the artists donated their time and talent to show their appreciation for health care workers. Jn Baptiste is the only one to create a permanent mural.
He explained that he saw an opportunity — to use his art to show thanks to tireless health workers who have put their lives on the line during this time.
“I couldn’t stand outside looking in,” he said. “I wanted to do something to acknowledge them.”
Ann Russell, chief nursing officer at the Woman’s Hospital of Texas, said Jn Baptiste’s message is loud and clear:
“You can see his heart and soul were put into that piece,” she said. “It’s been very impactful to the staff. We’ve had lots of comments on how much they enjoy it. It means a lot to them. You can’t help but smile when you see it.”
“Art is therapy. Everyone enjoys having art to welcome them and seeing it on breaks in their day.”
Kelli Nations, HCA Houston Healthcare chief nurse executive