100 Cleft Portraits Tour - Kansas City Exhibition
About this Event
Join us for a FREE event at Wonderscope - Children's Museum of Kansas City!
Created by UK-based artist, advocate, and trauma-informed coach Katie Manning, this exhibition features 100 stunning portraits of individuals affected by cleft lip and/or palate, each piece paired with a deeply personal story. This is not a medical exhibit; it is a celebration of identity, resilience, and what it means to be seen.
The Tour is presented by the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA) and will visit 12 cities across the US from July through August 2026. Children's Mercy is one of only 12 ACPA-approved teams honored to host this exhibition, and Katie Manning will be present at every stop, leading classes and workshops for attendees.
Join us on August 23, 2026 for the 100 Cleft Portraits Tour at Wonderscope - The Children's Museum of Kansas City! Your FREE ticket includes:
- Viewing access to all 100 portraits
- Meet-and-greet with Katie Manning
- Special workshops throughout the day including art classes and trauma-informed parenting workshops, led by the artist
- Special surprises featuring local businesses celebrating Kansas City flair
- Discounted admission tickets to Wonderscope all day
While this event is free, advance registration is requested. Reserve your tickets today!
Learn more about the Tour here:
https://acpacares.org/100-cleft-portraits-tour/
Why this tour matters:
- Visibility & Representation — Positive, beautiful portraits that help people see themselves as whole humans, not a "before and after." Every cleft journey deserves visibility, connection, and community.
- Education & Awareness - for the cleft community and the wider world, because you never truly know another person's journey by looking at them. The exhibition fosters understanding and belonging across communities, and provides education about one of the world's most common birth differences.
- Connection & Nervous System Truth — Like many interactions with the medical system, cleft and the experiences attached to it can create trauma responses in the body. Naming that with care reduces isolation and helps those who are struggling to feel seen. This tour creates space for real healing through connection. The exhibition bridges families and the healthcare community. Each tour stop creates a direct and inspiring connection between ACPA-approved cleft and craniofacial care teams and the families they serve — meeting cleft with understanding, not assumptions.
- A global perspective, brought home. Created by UK-based artist, advocate, and trauma-informed coach Katie Manning, the exhibition debuted in London in July 2025 before coming to the U.S. Fifteen of the 100 portraits feature Smile Train patients from around the world, reflecting the universal nature of the cleft community and the shared humanity at the heart of this project.
About the artist:
Katie Manning is an artist, trauma-informed coach, mother to a daughter born with bilateral cleft, and married to a man born with unilateral cleft. Cleft is not just something she works with; it’s woven into her family.
Their journey – from diagnosis in Singapore, through surgeries, mental and physical health struggles, and her own deep dive into trauma and the nervous system – is what led her here.
Through her work, she:
- Helps parents understand what happens in their bodies when they receive a cleft diagnosis and navigate the parenting path of raising a child with a cleft
- Supports families to regulate their nervous systems and reconnect with their children and themselves
- Uses art to restore reverence for faces that have too often been medicalised, judged, or misunderstood
This event may include photography, video-taping, or personal interviews for marketing and/or promotional purposes. Participation is voluntary. Identifiable images or information about you or your child will not be used without your written authorization. Please inform event staff if you prefer not to be photographed, recorded, or interviewed. Your decision to participate or not participate in photography, video-taping, or personal interviews will not affect your care, benefits, or relationship with Children’s Mercy.
Agenda
🕑: 09:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Private Viewing and Workshops for Children's Mercy Families
🕑: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
FREE Kids' Portrait-Drawing Workshop (led by Katie Manning!)
Info: Please arrive 15 minutes early as capacity is limited.
🕑: 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM
FREE Trauma-informed Parenting Workshop (led by Katie Manning!)
Info: Please arrive 15 minutes early as capacity is limited.
🕑: 12:00 PM - 05:00 PM
Public Portrait Viewing and Workshops - Open to all!
🕑: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
FREE Kids' Portrait-Drawing Workshop (led by Katie Manning!)
Info: Please arrive 15 minutes early as capacity is limited.
🕑: 03:00 PM - 04:00 PM
FREE Trauma-informed Parenting Workshop (led by Katie Manning!)
Info: Please arrive 15 minutes early as capacity is limited.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
