Artwork Gallery

About the Artwork: The emu in my drawing reflects who I am, friendly and calm to the outside world. Yet there is a part of me that when I am threatened or perceive to be threatened, I become fierce and angry, just like the Emu. The light around my painting represents the love, guidance, and hope I’ve found with my forever family, while the dark shadows at the edges hint at the challenges I faced with my feelings of abandonment. Like the emu, I’ve learned to navigate life with resilience even as I continue to work on a calm demeanor.

About the Artist: I’m a senior in high school from Tampa, FL, and I’ve loved animals my whole life. I hope to become a veterinarian someday, and my dog Kelso is definitely the greatest thing ever. I find great joy in creating art. That, along with music, is a way for me to express myself, and most importantly, a way to relax.

About the Artwork: " 'Suitcase Soul' is a metaphor for the emotional burden that children carry through the foster care system. The poem portrays the life of constant travel, lack of trust, and being emotionally stuffed up and passed around as one might pass around a suitcase. stanza uses a lot of imagery such as "smiles like wallpaper" and "ghost with living skin" explaining how loss, fear, and isolation shape a child's identity and most importantly how they grew up in life, especially their career path and motivation but also their personality. But the poem is also a resilience poem. Though worn down by instability, the voice is empowered by the voice and art itself. "Suitcase Soul" is an expression of pain and a declaration of survival. It attempts to raise awareness regarding foster care realities and honors the courage it takes to survive. Finally, foster care does challenge the way you think, and you can just change the way you act and just be a person, and it can be good. For examples, I would not be the person I am today. 

About the Artist: "I go by Chelsea, and I'm 17 years old, and I was in foster care for 7-8 years. I love reading, poetry, and dancing. I am a 4-year veteran on the Color guard team at my high school, and I love just being with family and friends. I spent 8 years in foster care in seven homes. I entered the system at eight years old and barely feel like I left with the shards of my childhood. Art and writing became my voice, my way to reclaim my power Independently and share my story so it can inspire other people not only to consider adoption but inspire other kids or teens or even adults to share their foster care experience."

About the Artwork: “"

For my piece of art, I made a model of two homes, one shrouded in darkness from the night showing how disheartening and bleak it can feel and the other in the light of the day showing hope for the future. Both homes have lights to show how every home can be physically similar, yet the emotions that the homes invoke can be completely different. Another important part of the home is the pain of the walls. How the first one is warm and inviting yet the home itself is sad and lonely, this also helps emphasize the lone figure. One the other hand, the second home has colder colors yet is a home that is full of togetherness and joy, also just like the first home this choice of color helps emphasize the figures. Another important detail is the mirror both homes possess shows how one's self-image can be damaged in isolation, causing feelings that you are at fault for the misfortunes that you are subjected to. The mirror in the second home is made of different pieces, making a whole mirror showing togetherness and sharing the burden of the past. The lone figure in the first home represents the bleak feelings of isolation, by using cold colors such as dark blue, black and dark gray to represent the muted feeling caused by loneliness and this is reinforced by how the figure stands by itself and the sign above the home stating the word ALONE. In the other home there are three figures; the figures are seen to be holding hands showing closeness and entwinement in emotions. The three are made of warmer colors such as purples, reds, yellow, and orange. The warmer colors help show how a family can invoke warm feelings of togetherness. To help reinforce and bring attention to the smaller details, the brick roof of the second home says TOGETHER. In conclusion, my painting is about how, despite how good a temporary family is, they will always feel temporary and cause a feeling of isolation, where a true family feels solid and can chip away at the feeling of isolation."

About the Artist: "My name is Grady, and this is my submission for the MARE Fostering Creativity. I have created a work of art that I am calling Reflecting on Truth. I come from an abusive childhood which led me into foster care at the age of 6. I have experienced foster care for most of my life from the age of 6 to the age of 15. During my time in foster care, I experienced 26 separate homes. Moving so much caused a sense of isolation and loneliness. I met all kinds of people, yet I always felt truly alone. But on October 1st, 2023, at the Jordan’s Furniture Walk/Run for Adoption, I met a couple consisting of Scott and Amy. According to Amy, she found me on the MARE website. After this fateful meeting and taking some time to get to know them I moved into their home. Moving into a real family was a completely different experience from what I was used to in the previous foster homes. I began to not feel lonely and isolated, because of the connections I was building with my family.

About the Artwork: “Rejection happening over and over again, thinking that NO ONE wants me, no one accepts me for who I am (personality, etc...). I feel like I’m in a void of nothingness. Couching in a circle, having limited space.”

About the Artist: Maddie is a thoughtful and friendly teenage girl with a passion for sports, animals, and spending time with her family and friends. Despite having been in and out of foster homes since the 6th grade, she maintains a bright spirit and a love for life. Known for being a bit of a "yapper," she’s always ready to chat and share a laugh. Art is a meaningful outlet for her, and she lights up when people acknowledge her creations.

About the Artwork: Alavar’s poem captures the deep loneliness and longing they have felt growing up in the foster care system, beautifully highlighting the essential need for parental figures in a child’s life.

About the Artist: Alavar is a creative and thoughtful teenager with a passion for bringing ideas to life. They love reading, writing, singing, and acting. Alavar has a natural ability to connect with peers and easily makes friends, enjoying time spent with others who share their interests. Known for being sweet and reserved, Alavar also finds joy in expressing themselves through creative outlets, including writing poetry and crafting unique projects.

About the Artwork: “’Family’ isn’t defined by people’s stereotypes. It can look many different ways, come in all shapes, sizes, and come in a whole rainbow of colors. It’s in the smiles you share, the hand there to hold yours, and the memories that altogether make you ‘family’. My piece is here to represent ‘family’, something everyone should have.”

About the Artist: “My name is Keva. I am 17 years old and a rising senior in school. I am homeschooled which is awesome because I have more time to do things I love, like art! I love drawing, painting, and writing & performing poetry. I enjoy creating meaningful pieces that people connect to
and love. I was lucky enough to be adopted from foster care when I was a baby and joined 2 of my biological siblings in our forever family.”

About the Artwork: Chris’ diorama is a recreation of his room and and represents how one’s outlook can manifest physically in their environment

About the Artist: Chris’ diorama is a recreation of his room and and represents how one’s outlook can manifest physically in their environment. Chris was born in New York City and then moved to Fitchburg. He is a very curious and creative child. He loves making stop-motion videos and drawing cartoons. This summer, Chris attended the Boston Comic Arts Foundation (BCAF) workshops in Cambridge. There he learned from graphic novelists about how to begin and develop stories. Additionally, Chris attended the annual BCAF Summer Comics Convention at Northeastern University and interacted with numerous adult and child artists.

About the Artwork: This artwork depicts a beautiful sunset in paradise surrounded by stickers in all four corners with messages of perseverance and determination.

About the Artist: Journey is a bright and joyful girl with a passion for creativity and adventure. She loves playing dress-up, dancing, gardening, and exploring the outdoors, and she dreams of becoming a teacher or social worker one day. Journey has a natural talent for making friends and always brings a smile to those around her with her kindness and warmth. She is known for her creativity and loves to draw Anime, sing, and express herself through various forms of art.

About the Artwork: Yessenia’s artwork beautifully showcases four of her favorite colors and shapes, each bringing a sense of peace and calm amidst the challenges of her journey.

About the Artist: Yessenia is a creative and thoughtful young adult with a deep love for arts and crafts. She has a natural talent for baking and dreams of becoming a baker, often creating delicious cookies to share with others and taking pride in her sweet creations. Yessenia also has a passion for fashion, and she loves experimenting with different outfits and jewelry, always finding new ways to express herself. Her creativity shines through in everything she does, whether she’s designing a new look or crafting something special in the kitchen.

About the Artwork: "This painting represents my hard work and my art talents. I like to paint sunsets because I like pretty colors. This painting represents the sunshine that I bring."

About the Artist: Kamauri loves sports, electronics, and the outdoors. Kamauri is charismatic and has a great sense of humor. He is always up for something new, especially when it comes to trying new foods. He loves to go on adventures and is always up for a game of basketball and recently has been trying out track and field. He cares deeply for the important people in his life and loves spending time with them. Kamauri is thoughtful and quick to bring smiles to faces around him.

About the Artwork: “This shark is very hungry everyday just like me, representing parts of me. Mr.shark has a lot of different emotions also like me throughout my life.”

About the Artist: "Jacob is a 12-year-old boy who loves football, sharks, and cookie dough. He also enjoys being outside in nature and going for thoughtful walks. Jacob also loves to create, whether that is building with Legos, writing stories, or painting pictures. During his free time, Jacob loves to read, chat with his friends, or play sports like basketball or football. Jacob is a wonderful and kind friend who cares very deeply about others."

About the Artwork: “My name is Xaria and my painting is about my family.”

About the Artist: Xaria is a lively and imaginative 6-year-old who loves spending her time with animals, getting creative with art, and kicking the soccer ball around the field. With a big heart and a joyful spirit, she brings energy and fun to everything she does. Xaria's love for animals shows in her gentle nature, while her passion for art lets her express her boundless creativity. She is always eager to learn new things and make new friends, whether she’s crafting her next masterpiece or playing her favorite game of soccer.

About the Artwork: “My name is Bentley. My artwork is about...you are my sunshine!”

About the Artist: Bentley is a bright and curious 7-year-old with a love for building Legos, reading, and playing soccer. He enjoys spending hours creating imaginative structures with Legos and diving into books that spark his imagination. Bentley brings a thoughtful and creative approach to everything he does, whether he's exploring a new story or scoring goals on the soccer field.