LeadingAge member RiverSpring Living captured attention at LeadingAge’s Annual Meeting 2024 in Nashville, TN, with stunning, black and white portraits of their staff.

Part of an 18-picture “Essential Workers” collection, the photographs on display over four days at the Music City Center are the work of RiverSpring Living resident Leonard Nones, who paid tribute to the strength, resilience, and compassion of those who work with older adults, capturing their presence with simplicity and dignity.

Nones’ work draws inspiration from legendary Vogue photographer Irving Penn’s “Small Trades” series (1950-51), in which Penn invited tradespeople into a studio and photographed them against a simple backdrop. Adopting a similar approach, Nones invited RiverSpring Living staff into a studio he created in the dining room of Riverwalk, an independent living community he lives in, that is part of RiverSpring Living in the Bronx, NY.

In each portrait, staff members are photographed alongside the tools of their trade, blending Nones’ creative vision with the influences of Penn’s series. A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) stands with a stethoscope in hand; a senior staff attorney looks on with a notepad by his side; the director of Therapeutic Arts and Enrichment Programs holds her service animal closely. Each staff member is demonstrating their professionalism, dedication, and skill they bring to their profession.

The exhibition also reflects Nones’ own remarkable journey back to photography after stepping away from the profession for decades. By turning his lens toward the people who support older adults every day, he created more than a series of portraits. He offered a lasting tribute to the workers whose commitment, compassion, and expertise help define the RiverSpring Living community.