By Hannah Buchanan
They say a picture is worth a thousands words. For one Jacksonville photographer, she hopes to capture not only words, but her subjects’ souls and personalities — that’s because for her, her subjects are special.
Emily Farmer, of Snaps Photography, is one of several photographers participating in the first ever East Texas Heart Gallery Show, a traveling art exhibit helping adoptive children find a home.
“It’s for the kids,” Farmer said, “anything I can do to help. It’s easy doing something for free — It makes me think on my creative edge, and you don’t think of the business aspect of it.”
The gallery makes its way to Jacksonville, from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Norman Activity Center.
This “Art Show & Festival” serves a wonderful purpose in other states, according to ETHG Producer Denice Grugle, and she said Texas’ first heart gallery is going well.
“The program started 14 months ago, but the efforts really just began six months ago,” Grugle said. “The volunteers and photographers have come out in droves, and the people are loving the program.”
Grugle said each photographer is selected by the Heart Gallery team and volunteers his or her time and skill to produce these works.
“The photographers we choose are very talented,” she said. “Their objective is to catch that certain gleam in their (the child’s) eye to where families that come out just look at them, and they know that’s the child for them.
“We also take and write articles about all the children that we can, or we talk to these children about what they are looking for in a family — just finding out what the kids are looking for and to line them up with the right parents. We try to find really what is their personality, and what they’re looking for.”
Grugle said the Heart Gallery is working closely with Texas Department of Family & Protective Services. Their rate of getting minority children and children older than 8 years adopted has multiplied through ETHG and Adoptive Parent Associations, according to promotional materials.
ETHG is patterning their agency after one in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“It’s not an original concept of mine — the first one was in Santa Fe,” she said. “They had such huge success over there, that they just starting popping up everywhere, mainly because the photographers are so willing to help. This is the first and only East Texas Heart Gallery. Our shows are just a small part of what we do — to help find these children a forever family.
“And then the (social) workers — they’ve never seen a program so successful. We need mature people to take these children who have a little more to give,” Grugle said. “That’s what we’re looking for. We’re also helping the workers to find a solutions to this problem.
“About three years ago, there was a big out cry to end abuse and neglect of children in Texas. The Heart Gallery has proven to be successful at recruiting perspective families, and finding families who are ready to adopt, who have been in the (foster) system. These workers are so overworked — they do it because they love kids. We can use this as a pilot program to reach other regions (in Texas).”
The show has already made its stops to several East Texas cities earlier this month, including Paris, Tyler and Longview.
“The people are so excited about coming out,” Grugle said. “At the Longview Mall, families were selected for seven children. Once these children are assigned to us, we take it as a personal obligation to help them find homes, in any way possible.”
“We hope we can have as many people in just to let them be aware that it’s out there,” Farmer added. “It’s just neat to see — it’s a neat program.”
For more information about the East Texas Heart Gallery, visit the Web site www.easttexasheartgallery.com, or contact Grugle at 903-521-4570.
