Carolyn Carter, 86, and Jean Rosenbaum, 96, recognized for their artwork at the annual Morning Pointe Seniors Got Talent Franklin event
FRANKLIN, Tenn. (October 13, 2026) — Two Middle Tennessee residents earned top honors in the Resident Art Show held alongside the 8th Annual Morning Pointe Foundation Seniors Got Talent Franklin event at The Franklin Theatre.
Carolyn Carter, 86, of Morning Pointe of Franklin Assisted Living, won the Best Artist Award for her oil painting, “Cindy and Tracy.”Jean Rosenbaum, 96, of Morning Pointe of Brentwood Assisted Living and Memory Care, received the People’s Choice Award for her acrylic painting, “Home.”
This year’s artwork was evaluated by three judges with backgrounds in art, design and curation: Kell Black, emeritus professor of art at Austin Peay State University, whose work is in the permanent collection of the Tennessee State Museum; Kim Balevre, an award-winning graphic designer and artist with the Tennessee Board of Regents, whose photography has been exhibited at the Frist Art Museum; and Tori Zemer, curator of the Pryor Art Gallery at Columbia State Community College, who has worked with Hatch Show Print and Tennessee Craft.
Carter first discovered painting around age 35, when she enrolled in an art class and found a hobby she wanted to pursue. She continued painting on her own and taking additional classes, fitting the work into family life while raising her children. More than five decades later, painting remains a favorite pastime.
Rosenbaum’s winning painting has a personal history of its own. She created “Home” more than 50 years ago and gave it to her mother for Christmas. Her mother loved the painting and kept it on her wall, and Rosenbaum never expected the work to receive recognition at an art show decades later.
“I never, never, ever, ever dreamed it,” Rosenbaum said. “I just like to paint for the fun of it. I just painted because I love to do it.”
Rosenbaum’s interest in art began when she was a young mother sketching flowers her sons brought home. Over the years, she explored oils, acrylics and watercolors. Now a resident of Morning Pointe of Brentwood, she continues to take part in creative activities.
The Resident Art Show gives residents from Morning Pointe communities an opportunity to exhibit their work as part of the Foundation’s annual senior talent competition. For Carter and Rosenbaum, the recognition reflects years of artistic interest that have continued well beyond the moment each first picked up a paintbrush.
The Franklin event featured 13 senior performance acts before a sold-out audience at The Franklin Theatre. Together, the event and People’s Choice voting raised over $40,000 for the Morning Pointe Foundation, including more than $2,000 through People’s Choice votes.
About Morning Pointe Senior Living
Morning Pointe Senior Living, headquartered in Ooltewah, Tennessee, was founded in 1997 by healthcare entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and J. Franklin Farrow, Morning Pointe Senior Living operates assisted living and Alzheimer’s memory care communities in four southeastern states, including GA, IN, KY & TN. For more information, visit morningpointe.com.
The philanthropic arm of Morning Pointe Senior Living is the Morning Pointe Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to provide clinical scholarships and caregiver support.
