Can you believe we are here?!
Tomorrow, the 100 Cleft Portraits Tour officially begins and what a place to start! 🎨✨
We’re kicking things off at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with a Grand Rounds presentation for surgical residents, opening up conversations around cleft, identity, lived experience, trauma-informed care and the importance of seeing the whole person beyond the surgery. They will also be putting their hands to a little drawing ✍️
Then, in the evening, we move into a beautiful space of portraits, creative process, art and connection bringing together families, professionals, students and members of the cleft community to experience the work, share stories and connect in a completely different way. đź’›
This tour is about far more than taking artwork from place to place.
It is about visibility and belonging.
It is about changing the way cleft is seen, understood and spoken about.
I can hardly believe we are here. Tomorrow, it begins. 🇺🇸🖌️
Follow and to come behind the scenes, meet the people we encounter and follow the journey from stop to stop.
Please share this post and help us bring more people into the conversation to create a kinder more compassionate world đź’«
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10/07/2026
For Annabelle and Charlotte’s family, this portrait captures more than two beautiful smiles.
It captures strength.
The kind of strength that is not always visible to the outside world.
Because while some people may simply see a wide smile, their family sees so much more.
They see resilience.
They see power.
They see everything their girls have already endured, and everything they may continue to navigate throughout their lives.
Their story is a reminder that cleft is not just something seen on the face. It is something lived through the body, the family, the appointments, the surgeries, the questions, the courage, and the quiet everyday moments of growing up knowing you are different — and learning that difference can be beautiful.
Annabelle and Charlotte’s mum, Emma, shared that they are always telling their girls to be proud of their clefts and teaching them the beauty in difference.
And this portrait helps them do just that.
Representation matters because it gives children another way to see themselves.
Not as something to be hidden.
Not as something to be explained away.
But as powerful, beautiful, whole human beings with stories worth seeing and celebrating.
Stories like Annabelle and Charlotte’s are why the 100 Cleft Portraits Tour exists: to create visibility, deepen understanding, and celebrate the beauty, strength, resilience, and individuality of the cleft community.
❤️ Join us at an ACPA presented tour stop this summer and discover the stories helping change how cleft is seen.
Will we see you there? 🌟🥰🤗
10/07/2026
A portrait is never just a portrait.
Hosanna’s portrait now lives in the heart of her home, opening conversations, holding memories and reflecting back the life, beauty and joy her family has always seen in her.
This is the power of being seen.
Follow Katie | Trauma Coach | Artist | Eldest daughter born BCLP and 100 Cleft Portraits Tour as the tour begins.
This tour is art, advocacy, community, education and powerful representation all in one place!
No better time to kick it off than Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness month!!
Are you coming to a stop?
Let me know where in the comments!!
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