Participant Instructions

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: 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.