Local students’ memorial artwork to go on display at University Hospital of Hartlepool

Two paintings by Hartlepool students, who were runners up following a call out to schools for COVID-19 memorial artwork, will find new permanent homes at the University Hospital of Hartlepool.

Jasmine King and Cindy Hong, students from St. Hild’s Church of England School in Hartlepool, created their pieces to commemorate the pandemic, following a call out for entries to the visual arts council’s competition at University Hospitals Tees.

The new pieces will be placed within psychology and infection control departments at the hospital, after members of the visual arts council agreed that the poignant runner up artworks should also go on display to commemorate community and healthcare challenges and experiences during the pandemic.

Dr Jean MacLeod, lead medical examiner and chair of the visual arts council for the group said: “We were blown away by the amount of entries and also the sheer quality of the pieces we received, after inviting local schools and colleges to get involved in our memorial project.

“When it came down to judging, Jasmine and Cindy’s artworks resonated with the panel, and so we knew we wanted their artwork to have a home on our walls in addition to our winning piece from the students at Stockton Sixth Form College.”

The COVID-19 memorial artwork competition saw students from Stockton Sixth Form College successfully win the competition, which saw their work unveiled at both the University Hospital of North Tees and the University Hospital of Hartlepool back in March.

A ceremony held at the University Hospital of Hartlepool by Dr MacLeod and Group Chair, Professor Derek Bell, thanked the students for their submissions, presented certificates and gifts to the runners up, while formally handing the artwork to representatives Dr Elaine McWilliams for psychology and Victoria Hancock on behalf of the infection control department. 

Group chair, Professor Derek Bell OBE, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to engage with our local students to be able to capture and mark the pandemic in a way that is representative of our communities’ shared experiences.

“We are vanguards of these pieces and we hope they will bring pleasure and a moment of reflection, as we continue to work to improve our environments for people attending our hospitals.”

The visual arts council is now placing a call out to local schools and colleges to create a similar memorial for the University Hospitals Tees’ sites at The James Cook University Hospital and the Friarage Hospital, which it hopes to unveil in April 2026.

Head of Arts Department Lynn McDonnell, who attended on behalf of colleague Rosie Caldwell who supported the submissions, said: “We’re overwhelmed that Jasmine and Cindy’s artwork has been selected to go on display.

“Having our students contribute to a meaningful memorial for the pandemic is an honour and we hope that our art students will be inspired to continue to create meaningful artwork in the future.”