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FC white logoParticipant instructions

 

Fostering Creativity is a public awareness campaign that seeks to empower those who are or 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 in September 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

All pieces of art will be part of an exhibit at a showcase event. Five pieces of artwork will be selected for a special feature 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 apparel created 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

 

March 29th 

July 26th 

August 5th 

September 

Spring Submission Deadline 

Summer Submission Deadline 

Featured Artists Selection Announcement  

Showcase Event

What you need to create

 

Art

A piece of art or particular design that expresses your message. Submissions can be in visual media (paintings, drawings, 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 on 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” x 24”. 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 26th, 2024. 

 

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)