For the last 5 years I’ve participated with 8 other local photographers in an exhibition whose main objective is to shed some light on the issue of children in the foster care system in our community. Each photographer creates a portrait of a child currently available for adoption through local foster care agencies. The main issue is that most of these children are past the customary “ideal” age for adoption, a lot of them teenagers close to graduating which decreases their chances for adoption even more. The exhibition is called “The Waiting” because in essence most of them are awaiting for the blessing of belonging to a family. As a result of this exhibition there have been many adoptions and I hope to continue to help shed some light on this very real issue in our community.
I got to photograph three lovely, sweet, beautiful and smart girls in the studio yesterday. The two sisters could not be more opposite, one outgoing and outspoken, while the other shy and quiet. The oldest girl, Susana, I’ve photographed twice now. She spoke with me about her 12+ years in foster care in over 20 homes and expressed how poetry is her emotional outlet. She shared one of her first poems with me which I included as a background in her photograph.
The Waiting exhibition will be on display in November at the Miami Children’s Museum. I will post the details when the specifics are available and invite you all to attend.
