FOSTER YOUTH MUSEUM

September 4 - December 6, 2025

Foster Youth Museum’s Lost Childhoods is presented by the Foster Youth Education Fund and the University Galleries at Sacramento State. This exhibition has been conceived by current and former foster youth.

Lost Childhoods tells the story of loss and powerlessness in the foster care system – and the human capacity for resilience and connection. Organized around themes that characterize experiences of foster care, the exhibit includes art, artifacts and photographic portraits.

In California there are currently 45,000 young people in foster care. The experiences of these youth are commonly misunderstood and sometimes made deliberately invisible. Lost Childhoods offers viewers a way to understand these experiences and to witness how healing and growth come from supportive relationships, sharing in decision‐making, and from love and respect. The stories told in this exhibition are real.

As you experience the object and photographs throughout the exhibit , visitors will move through the themes of powerlessness, institutionalization, loss, and hope. Some are raw, some are sweet and heartwarming, and many will move you to action. 

Public programs forthcoming.