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Photos of Children Eligible for Adoption Taken by World-Renowned Photographers
Miami-Dade County, FL – The newest art exhibit at Miami International Airport (MIA) is one with a purpose – finding parents for foster children in Miami-Dade County. The Miami Heart Gallery, spearheaded by The Children’s Trust, is a groundbreaking project that seeks adoptive parents for 48 children through portraits taken by 30 of the world’s top photographers. The exhibit will be on display from September 10 to October 22 at MIA and is being hosted by The Division of Fine Arts and Cultural Affairs at MIA.
Based on a national model of other Heart Galleries across the United States, the Miami Heart Gallery captures the unique personality of each child through portraits taken at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Jungle Island. Many of the participating photographers are award-winning professionals who have worked for top magazines including: In Style, Vogue, Mademoiselle, Self, Rolling Stone, Cosmopolitan, Ocean Drive and Marie Claire. Even noted photographer Nigel Barker flew in from New York to photograph several children. Barker is best known as one of the judges and celebrity photographers for the hit show “America’s Next Top Model” with supermodel Tyra Banks.
"We're very proud of this project,” said Modesto E. Abety, President and CEO of The Children’s Trust. “So many volunteers were involved in making the Miami Heart Gallery a reality, and I'm sure everyone involved will feel even more gratified when we see children being adopted as a result.”
According to the state of Florida, more than 2,750 foster children in Florida and more than 500 in Miami-Dade are eligible for adoption in Florida. Most of these children have been removed from their biological parents because of abuse or neglect. On average, 41 percent of those waiting for adoption in Florida remain on waiting lists for two years, 22 percent have been waiting for up to three years and 37 percent wait longer than three years. For this reason, The Children’s Trust is working with Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe, the private agency responsible for foster care and adoption in Miami-Dade County and the Florida Keys.
The Miami Heart Gallery is complemented by a comprehensive Web site, www.miamiheartgallery.com, which features the children’s portraits, audio recordings of each child discussing their habits and hobbies and why he or she would like to find a good home, and a video of the making of the Miami Heart Gallery.
The Miami Heart Gallery is available to the public at MIA’s Terminal J third level International Greeter’s Lobby. The exhibition is a component of the broader mia Galleries Exhibition Program, created for the purpose of humanizing the airport environment with cultural and educational experiences. Images of the exhibition are available upon request.
For further information, contact the Miami-Dade Aviation Department’s Division of Fine Arts and Cultural Affairs at 305-876-0749 or the Office of Communications at 305-876-7017. For more information on the Miami Heart Gallery, please visit www.miamiheartgallery.org. Anyone interested in learning more about adopting a foster child should call The Children’s Trust Helpline at 2-1-1.
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