Knoxville Museum of Art and Childhelp Tennessee Partner for the My Portrait Program: Providing art education and expression for children in foster care.

Nationally renowned local artist Dr. Carl Gombert has created a piece of artwork representative of the thousands of children in the Tennessee foster care system. The piece depicts the face of child advocacy and features thousands of individualized stamps to form the structural base. Gombert has provided a compelling rendering to be enjoyed for many years to come. The piece is on loan from Jim and Kay Clayton who recently purchased it at the Les Trois Chefs event auction.

In addition, children being served by Childhelp Tennessee’s Foster Family program gathered in September for a special treat. Art educators from the Knoxville Museum of Art hosted workshops for the children on interpretation of and their feelings about Carl Gombert’s piece of art. The children then had the opportunity to create their own portrait with Gombert’s creation as the basis for their own masterpiece. These self portraits created by children in Childhelp’s care are also on display.

Childhelp Tennessee serves child victims of abuse and neglect in Knox and surrounding counties with their Child Advocacy Center and Foster Family Program. If you would like to help us in our fight against child abuse or if you have an interest in becoming a foster or adoptive parent please call us at (865) 637-1753.