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100 Cleft Portraits Tour brings stories, representation to Houston

By Roman Petrowski
A portrait of a child with a cleft difference painted by artist Katie Manning

(Art by Katie Manning)

A national traveling art exhibit celebrating the lives and experiences of people born with cleft differences will visit the Texas Medical Center Wednesday, Aug. 26.

The 100 Cleft Portraits Tour, presented by the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association, will be on display beginning at 4 p.m. at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

The event is designed to bring together patients, families, healthcare professionals, and members of the community while celebrating cleft and craniofacial differences through art and personal stories.

Created by artist and trauma-informed coach Katie Manning, the exhibition features 100 portraits accompanied by personal stories from people born with cleft differences. Manning will attend the event and meet with families and visitors.

Through the project, Manning seeks to expand the conversation surrounding cleft differences beyond medical treatment and provide greater representation for a community whose experiences can often be viewed primarily through a clinical lens.

“Clinical care matters deeply. Surgery matters deeply. Speech, hearing, dental, specialist support really matter,” Manning said. “And so do identity, confidence, emotional well-being, representation, and belonging. And I would argue that they are of equal importance, and one directly informs the other.”

Rather than focusing exclusively on medical journeys or before-and-after stories, the portraits showcase their subjects as individuals with their own personalities, interests, experiences, and identities.

Manning said the project presents its participants not only as brave, but as themselves—“complex, funny, shy, creative, ordinary, extraordinary human beings.”

The Houston exhibit will also provide an opportunity for families affected by cleft and craniofacial differences to meet one another and connect in a welcoming environment.

The event is free, but registration is required. Visit the Memorial Hermann event page to learn more and register (external link).