The Burchfield-Penney Art Center is pleased to host The Heart Gallery of Western New York from February 3 – February 28, 2007 in the museum’s education corridor, 3rd floor, Rockwell Hall, Buffalo State College. An opening reception will be held on Wednesday, February 7 at 6:00 p.m.

The Heart Gallery of Western New York, a portrait exhibition of local foster care children awaiting adoption, is designed to touch people’s hearts with compelling portraits of foster care kids in our own community who need supportive, compassionate people – people who are willing to open their hearts and homes to these children.

More than 50 children are featured in this exhibition and as a result stand a bitter chance of being adopted by adults who see their pictures. The portraits, taken by local photographers, are more than just a picture of a child waiting for a family. Rather they capture the spirit, hope and interests of the youth. It is not just a face on a poster or a face in a photograph. They are children. They are kids who you can relate to and emotionally connect through these powerful images.

All of the professional photographers featured in the gallery are from the Western New York community and volunteered their time and expertise to make this project a reality. Their job was to coax out the best of these children, knowing that their lives could change forever because of the impact of one photograph. The photographers certainly achieved their purpose – to bring out the spirit and individuality that are often invisible in the typical photographs that accompany these children’s files once they enter foster care.

The goal of this project is to increase public awareness around foster care and adoption, and more importantly, move prospective parent to inquire about adopting from foster care.

For more information, please visit www.caffawny.org or call toll free at 877-512-2732.