11/14/2025
Something truly special from Orchard Cove was on display at the 2025 LeadingAge Annual Meeting & EXPO last week in Boston—a 36-foot-long mural created by resident and artist Edie Green. 🎨
The annual conference brought together more than 7,000 leaders and innovators in the field of aging services to share ideas and celebrate innovation. Orchard Cove was represented not only through Edie's artwork, but also in a panel discussion, "Let Residents and Team Members Reimagine the Continuum," featuring Executive Director Aline Russotto, Geriatric Specialist Jennifer Brinckerhoff, MD, Director of Community Life Catherine Couture, and resident Janet Brady.
"I'm 92 years old and I've never done a mural, and I figured why not?" Green said. "Something inside of me said to take the chance, so here I go!"
After being asked by Russotto to take this on in June, Green created a mockup detailing a seascape scene with waves, fish, and boats. Reading from her notes about the process, Green said, "A lot of thought and rethinking is going into this project. I want it to be successful for all concerned. I do not want to be embarrassed!"
Describing the project as daunting, she said, "I know in my heart that my Arnie is watching over me, and I'll try to make him proud of me.”
At the conference, Green shared that she felt her husband Arnie's spirit was behind this project. They were married for 68 years before he passed in 2023.
Fellow Orchard Cove residents Lee Blumenthal and Ruthie Kirsch helped Green prep the canvas, using a quart of paint to turn the white canvas blue.
"To make it more comfortable for me, I thought I would cover all the canvases with a shade of blue paint, and then paint the ripples and waves," Green said, noting that working on a blue canvas was far less daunting than a white one.
The mural is dotted with fish and boats navigating atop and underneath the waves. This element presented an opportunity for communal collaboration. Green invited fellow residents from across Hebrew SeniorLife communities to write messages on the boats and fish, highlighting what they appreciate about Hebrew SeniorLife staff. Residents expressed gratitude for the team members' helpfulness and friendliness, their smiling faces, their ability to listen, as well as their support with tasks such as adjusting the thermostat or changing light bulbs.
Thanks to chaplain Rabbi Joel Baron, Green said assistance in planning the mural came from an unlikely source: artificial intelligence. Together, they used the technology to find pictures of waves.
"Speaking of gratitude, how fortunate I am to have this new experience with such a special person as Rabbi Joel!" Green said.
The mural was finished on August 31. Green estimates that more than 50 hours of work went into creating it.
"It is done, it met their expectations, and I'm not embarrassed. I'm proud," Green said.
Green has reason to be proud as her work made quite an impression at the conference. Students from Kentucky who attended were so captivated by both the artist and her mural that they asked to take a photo with her — a fitting tribute to Green’s courage in taking on the mural project despite never having done one before and creating something truly memorable!