A Maine artist tells the stories

TRUTH TELLERS: Robert Shetterly's Odyssey to Celebrate Great Americans from Richard Kane on Vimeo.

Truth Tellers is a film about American courage. Shortly after 9/11 and catalyzed by lies behind the US attack on Iraq, Maine artist Robert Shetterly, filled with angst, knew he had to act: leave behind the country he loved or find a way to rally fellow citizens against an unjust war. So he undertook a campaign to do what he knew best – paint -- and began surrounding himself with Americans whose honest voices courageously defend democracy.

Nearly 20 years and 250 portraits later, Americans Who Tell the Truth has become a widely shown exhibit depicting great Americans, their words scratched into each portrait.

Truth Tellers follows Shetterly as he travels across the nation, engaging children and adults in dialog about how we must live up to our ideals, the responsibility of citizenship, and the importance of truth in a democracy. Truth Tellers is itself a portrait – of the artist who continues to inspire all of us to become “models of courageous citizenship.”

You can help tell Shetterly’s story. Go to kanelewis.com and click on DONATE NOW.