story & photo
by Harrison Lees

The CT Department of Children and Families  (DCF)  recently set up the Heart Gallery, a unique project blending professional artistry with the goal of raising the public awareness towards adoption, at the Mystic Aquarium: An Institute for Exploration.  At an event on September 15th marking the gallery’s arrival to the aquarium, the venue was declared open and will stay in Mystic until November.  The gallery moved between small museums and theaters in CT since its introduction in 2003.  It was last displayed in the Stepping Stones Children’s Museum in Norwalk. The project is by no means specific to CT; it is a nationwide phenomenon.

Beginning in 2001, Diane Granito, a social worker for the DCF of Santa Fe, NM came up with the idea of the Heart Gallery when searching for an innovative way to spread the idea and opportunity of adoption.  Her plan was to ask professional photographers to donate their time and talent to help foster children find adoptive families.  When children gave their express permission to join the gallery, the photographers were to “capture the spirit and personality of the child,” stated June Wiehn, Bureau Chief, CT DCF’s Bureau of Adoption and Interstate Compact Services. Since 2001, 46 states implemented Heart Galleries of their own.  Karen Miskunas, Program Supervisor, CT DCF, reported that approximately 500 adoptions are made through the department, and 30% of the children photographed for the local Heart Gallery are adopted every year.  “There’s just something about their picture, their face, their smile, their willingness to put themselves out there,” she said, adding that the children make connections to help them later in life whether or not they unite with a family.

Senator Andrew Maynard, First Selectman Ed Haberek, Jr., Stonington, and  Peter Glankoff, Senior Vice President of Marketing Public Affairs at Mystic Aquarium spoke at the opening of the gallery on September 15th.  Senator Maynard stated, “I can’t think of more important work than finding good and safe homes and families” for the children.  He also said that he hoped the gallery would inspire more families to consider adoption.  Peter remarked that the Sea Research Foundation, of which the Aquarium is a member, “is about children, it’s about families, and it’s about the future of our ocean planet.”  He added that since the Aquarium secured the lending of seven beluga whales and four dolphins from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, the number of families coming to Mystic and learning about the Heart Gallery will keep growing.

The night ended with a special recognition for Maureen Higgins, a local math teacher who adopted through the Heart Gallery.  She said that she never considered adoption before, but after seeing a flyer for the gallery, “I put my antennae up.”  She fostered a child named Josiama for one year before her adoption was finalized this June.  She and Josiama now live together with her biological son, age eight.  “This has been a really really positive experience for us,” she said, holding the flowers she was presented.

The Heart Gallery intends to expand the number of venues it displays every year.  After their stint at the Aquarium, the gallery will be moving to four locations around CT: at the UConn Health Center, the Crystal Mall, the Eastbrook Mall, and the First Cathedral in Bloomfield to celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month.  According to Karen, the gallery is a “chance to celebrate the kids” who come from “all walks of life and cognitive abilities.”  She put the matter aptly, saying that for the families that adopt or are moved to consider adoption either through or because of the gallery, “it’s about that first look.”

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