Megan Navarro
KYLE — Working as a nurse can sometimes feel strenuous and daunting, but one local artist is hoping to help those who work at Ascension Seton Hays Hospital in Kyle feel appreciated through hand-painted parking spots at the facility.
San Marcos-based muralist Michelle Wilson has been embracing her creativity through art since the third grade, but did not begin her career until 2020. While it allows her to provide for her family, Wilson’s art also helps people smile across the community through painted murals for cities, nonprofit organizations and public spaces, she said.
Most recently, after a military seal project last year, Wilson was contacted by Ascension Seton Hays Hospital to paint parking spots awarded to those who won the following awards.
• DAISY Award: An international award that celebrates nurses who provide extraordinary care. Anyone, including patients, visitors and peers, can nominate a nurse for the award by submitting a story detailing how the nurse’s empathy and clinical skill made a meaningful difference.
• Being Exceptional Everyday (BEE) Award — a companion to the DAISY Award: a healthcare recognition program designed to honor non-nursing staff and medical support professionals. Associates are nominated by their peers, patients or visitors.
Additionally, those who donate to the hospital foundation through the annual We Give to Give Campaign — given through a payroll dedication that supports patients, families and associations — were also recognized by way of a painted parking space.
“We wanted a more visible way to celebrate our staff who win awards for going above and beyond or those so dedicated to our mission that they participate in We Give to Give and donate part of their paycheck to the foundation,” said Alli Reaves, Ascension Seton Hays associate administrator. “It is a small and fun way to celebrate and show appreciation for the amazing staff who work here. Our staff always enjoys being able to have a designated parking spot.”
Given creative liberty, Wilson was able to use the branding for the national BEE and DAISY awards, as well as that of the foundation-specific We Give to Give Campaign for the designs, while still ensuring that the spaces will withstand the test of time.
“You have to design based on what's going to withstand foot traffic, weather and dirt. I have to design something that's not super detailed and then, operating on the ground is extremely difficult and needs to be something that I'm going to be able to do it in a good amount of time, but also just hoping it's going to wear well over time,” the artist said.
Recognizing that the hospital staff works to provide high-quality and compassionate care to patients and visitors, Reaves shared that the hospital wants to celebrate those “who go above and beyond, live out our culture and mission both within the hospital and outside of it. These parking spots are a visible marker to our visitors and the community of the amazing work our associates do day in and day out.”
For Wilson, she hopes that the staff members and patients who see these parking spaces will feel a sense of community; she also noted that it’s a great way to reward the nurses, specifically, who are at the heart of the medical field.
Reaves echoed Wilson’s sentiment, adding that the spaces should bring people joy, as well as serve as a reminder that the kindness, compassion and excellence given by the hospital staff is seen.
“If the artwork can make someone smile or remind an award recipient how valued they are, then it has done exactly what we hoped it would,” Reaves said.
The artist is looking forward to working with nonprofits in the future and hopes that the parking spaces project opens the door to do the same for other hospitals.
