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FC white logoParticipant instructions

 

Fostering Creativity is a public awareness campaign that seeks to empower those who have experienced foster care to share their perspective with the world. Youth will create art that will help raise awareness about foster care and adoption. The created artwork will be displayed at a Showcase Event on September 28th, 2023 that all youth artists will be invited to attend. Additionally, MARE will feature the submitted art as part of a public awareness campaign.

 

Featured Artists

Five pieces of art will be selected for special feature at the showcase event. Artwork will be selected based on artistic quality and pieces that best raise awareness about adoption from foster care. These submissions will be turned into T-shirts or other apparel in collaboration with the artist. These items will be available for purchase in the MARE store and used to raise awareness in the community. The selected artists will receive a copy of the created apparel and a gift card. MARE will also work with these artists to create videos and photos about the artist and their work.

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Important Dates

 

June 1st

July 28th

August 9th

September 28th

Sign Ups Open

Art Submission Deadline

Featured Artists Selected

Showcase Event in Worcester

who can participate?

Youth currently or previously in foster care can participate. All participants must be under the age of 25.  You can be adopted, reunified with your family of origin, currently in foster care, or have exited the foster care system into adulthood.

You do not need to be a world class artist! Anyone who wants to be creative and share their perspective with the world can submit art.

 

What you need to create

 

Art

A piece of art or particular design that expresses your message. Submissions can be in visual media (paintings, drawing, collage, etc) or written media (poetry, essays, or stories). 

Name

Give your piece of art a name.

About You

A one-paragraph description of who you are. Share about your personality, experience with foster care, and why you are participating in this project.

Message

A one to two paragraph description about your art, its meaning, and your message to the community. Work with your family, your social worker or with us at MARE to help create this. 

crafting your message

As someone currently or previously in foster care, your voice is the most important perspective in foster care and adoption. We need your help raising awareness in the community so that more people can understand your experience and help in any way they can. art speaks louder than words. We want to give you a platform to help create change for kids who have experienced foster care through the power of art. 

 

Prompts

Use one or more of the following prompts to think about what you want people to know about foster care and adoption. it might be helpful to talk about these questions with your family or social worker. 

 

Reflect

  • What does foster care mean to you?
  • What does adoption mean to you?
  • What does family mean to you?
  • What do you want the world to know about youth in foster care?

Fill in the blank

  • Foster care is _____.
  • Family is _____.
  • Adoption is _____.
  • I am _____.
  • When I think of the future, I feel _____. My dream is ___________. 

Why did you fill in the blanks the way you did? What does it mean to you? Were there any that felt particularly meaningful? Hopefully these prompts help you get your creative juices flowing.

 

Now, let's make some art!

Artwork Types

We are accepting art pieces in any visual media or written form. Visual art should be no larger than 24"x24". Written contributions should be no longer than 1500 words. Please note that we are unable to accept multimedia pieces at this time (videos, recorded music, or performances). 

All pieces should be intended to share your perspective as someone who has experienced foster care and raise awareness in the wider community about foster care and adoption. 

Visual Art

Paintings

Drawings

Collage

Digital design

Photography

Creative Writing

Essays

Stories

Poetry

submitting your art

It is important that we receive the original artwork you created. This will be displayed at the Showcase Event and used for the Fostering Creativity public awareness campaign. As a reminder, your submission is considered a donation to MARE and you will not receive your piece back after submission. To ensure your participation in the project, all submission must be delivered and in-hand with MARE by July 28th, 2023.

 

Complete the Submission Form

All participants must complete the submission form in tandem with submitting their artwork.

Submission Form

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How to Submit Your Artwork

Additional Ways to Submit

(not relevant to all participants)