Photos designed to speak to the heart

Faye, whose picture was in the Santa Fe gallery three years ago, also has strength of character. That was one of the first things photographer Jackie Mathey noticed about her.

"She was such a vulnerable little girl and such a strong force to be reckoned with at the same time," Mrs. Mathey says. "She has this feistiness about her."

That feistiness helped her deal with multiple upheavals and moving from home to home. Until Mathey and her husband adopted Faye two years ago, the dark-haired girl had never spent an entire year in one school.

"She always felt that she needed to protect herself and everyone in her world," Mathey says, "but now she has a big brother and an extended family on both sides who look out for her. She feels like she's a normal kid for the first time."

Not every child gets such a happy ending. Those who are 5 and younger find adoptive homes quickly, experts say, while those 9 and older often wait and wait; many simply age out of the system.

Part of the problem, says Granito, is that people just aren't aware of how many children need help, or of how the system works. In many cases, adopting through the state is free, and single people are eligible, even if they have modest incomes.

There are some hurdles, however. Applicants must take classes and wait for a background check and home study to be completed.

Virginia Stark of Santa Fe waited 10 months before she was allowed to adopt Katrina. The two met when Ms. Stark, a freelance photographer, agreed to do Katrina's portrait for a Heart Gallery show.

Something about the child, then 9, touched Stark deeply. "In walks this beautiful, sad little girl," she says. "I could see heartbreak in her eyes. That's what hit me most."

Stark chose a diptych for the gallery. In one shot, Katrina is looking down. In the other she is walking from darkness to light, a symbol, Stark says, of how the girl's life was about to change.

Mother and daughter have both made great strides since the adoption. "I've done some healing myself," says Stark, who had tried for years to have a baby with her husband. Eventually the couple divorced.

Both Stark and Mathey say adoption has enriched their lives. But they also note that the experience has been intense. "There are a lot of layers that still need to be removed," says Mathey.

The Heart Gallery removes some "layers" for the public, Mathey believes. "What the Heart Gallery does so well is introduce you to this world [of foster children]. I had no idea what to expect. I didn't realize how many kids out there need a home and need another chance."

Organizers of Heart Galleries around the country are trying to raise awareness in some creative ways.

New Jersey will include a picture of every child who's eligible for adoption - more than 300 - in its exhibit this spring. Tampa provided audio clips of the children at its most recent show. And organizers in Georgia are exploring the possibility of a Southeast Heart Gallery, which would place foster children's photos before people from several states.

"It's wonderful to see all the positive energy that's now being directed toward these children," says Granito.

Back in Boston, Hopkins and her colleagues hope that half of the 38 children in their first show - which opens Thursday at the Panopticon Gallery of Photography at the Hotel Commonwealth - will find homes.

They also hope that visitors will inquire about other children who are eligible to be adopted. (There are 3,000 in Massachusetts.)

"They all need a family," Hopkins says, "someone they can turn to long after they're 18."

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