An Artist’s ‘Final Wish’
Betty Grodnitzky has led a full and meaningful life filled with many roles—as a wife, a mother, a professional singer who performed for political and religious leaders in the United States and Israel.
But self-taught artist is one she never expected. The Baltimore native began to use art as a way of healing from family tragedy; her husband died suddenly from a heart attack in 1989, and her daughter passed away unexpectedly a few years later.
Now Betty, receiving hospice care from BridgingLife, says she has one final wish: She would like a piece of her artwork to hang in the White House.
Not just any piece, but one that she’s titled “Promise Made and Promise Kept.” Betty says the piece represents where we are in America—and it’s the motto that President Donald Trump said he would govern by in his presidential victory speech in November 2024.
The work consists of a large U.S. flag with the dates of Sept. 11, 2001—the date of a terrorist attack in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.—and May 11, 2011, the date attack mastermind Osama bin Laden was killed. It also features symbols of the U.S. Armed Forces and phrases from lesser-known verses of The Star-Spangled Banner.
For more than 30 years, Betty has created vibrant, large scale 3-D works of art with Judaic and patriotic imagery. Her artwork and photography have been profiled in local news and publications, including WMAR Channel 2 News, JMORE magazine and the Jewish Times. About 25 pieces hang in her home today, though she admits she’s given many away through the years.
Depending on the complexity, each piece has taken her anywhere from a few months to a year to complete.
Sora Kupfer, LCSW-C, Betty’s BridgingLife social worker, isn’t surprised that Betty’s art helped her work through the pain of her losses, explaining that some mental health professionals use art therapy as a form of healing from and dealing with trauma. “Sometimes we need symbolic ways of finding meaning and healing,” she says, “and it’s not always words.”
Betty is appreciative of the care she’s received from BridgingLife. “I love them all,” she says of her care team.
And, if anyone has a White House connection that could put in a good word for Betty, she would be most appreciative.
Visit Betty’s website, www.bettyg-artiste.com, to learn more about her life and artwork.
