LEWISTON — Bates Mill Atrium is hosting Maine artist Robert Shetterly’s acclaimed collection of portraits, “Americans Who Tell the Truth,” for a month beginning Nov. 15.

The entire collection — over 270 portraits — will be together for only the second time at a show, the biggest one to date. It depicts American figures from the past and present who have spoken truth to power in different, daring ways.

Shetterly believes the recent political happenings in the nation bring a new meaning to his work.

“I think it makes the intent and the meaning of the ‘Americans Who Tell the Truth’ more important than ever,” Shetterly said Wednesday. “I say that because undergirding the entire project is the understanding that there’s always been a problem in this country with people who hold power, any kind of power, living up to the ideals of this very country.”

“At this moment, we’re perhaps entering an era that is going to be marked by vindictiveness and revenge and lack of kindness and dishonesty about what the ideals of equality and justice are supposed to mean,” Shetterly reflected. “What we do might be more important than ever.”

A painting by Robert Shetterly of Robert Koehler, right, waits Thursday alongside others to be hung in the Bates Mill Atrium in Lewiston. The portrait is part of Shetterly’s “Americans Who Tell The Truth” exhibit of American activists, and each includes a provocative quote etched into the surface of the painting. Koehler’s quote reads: “How does one live in a world that needs to be reconceived at its core? We have to change course and I have no idea where or how to start, except in a million places at once, but all of these starting places have at least this much in common: reverence for the planet and life itself; acknowledgement and awe that the universe is alive and we are connected to everything in it; and a sense that even the small, mocked, discarded fragments of civilization are to be valued … that they are sacred.” Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

“What started the ‘Americans Who Tell the Truth’ was the government lying about the necessity for attacking the country of Iraq,” Shetterly recalled. “Starting a war based on a lie. Just think about all the damage, the suffering that was caused by that lie,” he continued. “There’s never been anybody held accountable for it.”

For Shetterly, what drives his work has not changed in over two decades since he began the collection. “The struggle for facing the truth of what we do, why we do it, who gets harmed by it, and what we can do to stop it,” Shetterly said, “is essential.”

A self-taught artist, Shetterly has called Maine home since 1970. Lewiston is a place he holds close to his heart, not just because of the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting, he said.

“I have a deep affection for Lewiston,” Shetterly said. “Unlike some of the other Maine communities that tend to be one thing or another, Lewiston is more of a real reflection of the world. It’s been a refuge for people. I’m very fond of Lewiston and what it represents in Maine,” he added.

The display in Lewiston is special for Shetterly. This is the biggest “Americans Who Tell the Truth” exhibit to date, featuring all of Shetterly’s portraits including about 40 new additions after a Syracuse, New York, show hosted the entirety of the collection for the first time.

“This time, there’s another 40 portraits or so. It’s much bigger than the first time (the entire collection was displayed.) There were 238 portraits then, and now they’re close to 280,” Shetterly said.

“I’ve been painting them for almost 23 years, one at a time. To see them all together, it represents something much, much bigger than the individual portraits,” Shetterly said. “It represents a real statement about our history and about the courage to try to do the right thing.”

Dissent has a steady presence in Shetterly’s portraits. “Dissent is always important. Whether it’s corporations or government forces or whatever it is, people are going to stray from the truth for their own particular profits and advantage,” Shetterly explained. “People who are willing to descend from that and risk the ramifications are incredibly important. The best of our history, it depends on people willing to dissent.”

Looking back, Shetterly said he is glad to have embarked on the project despite his hesitations. “At the time, it was risky for me. I was living as an artist and surviving by illustrating books and selling, producing artwork that was sold in galleries,” Shetterly remembered. “I gave all that up in order to begin this project.”

Paintings by Robert Shetterly of Martin Luther King Jr., left, and David Korten wait to be hung Thursday in the Bates Mill Atrium in Lewiston. The portraits are part of Shetterly’s “Americans Who Tell The Truth” exhibit of American activists, and each includes a provocative quote etched into the surface of the painting. King’s quote reads: “Non-violence is a powerful and just weapon … which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.” Korten’s quote reads: “… our economic crisis is, at its core, a moral crisis. Our economic institutions and rules, even the indicators by which we measure economic performance, consistently place financial values ahead of life values. They are brilliantly effective at making money for rich people. … Our children, families, and communities, and natural systems of Earth have paid an intolerable price. If the world is to work for any of us, it must work for all of us.” Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Shetterly does not sell the portraits. “Eventually, they will be given away as a collection,” he said.

“I want people to be so moved by the ideals and the values of this country and the courage it has taken to support them and make them real that they want to do that themselves,” Shetterly said. “All of us are going to come up against times where courage is going to be required. It’s a whole lot easier if you feel that there’s a community you want to be a part of. That’s what the portraits represent. They’re there to cheer you on and accept you and admire you for your own courage.”

“Americans Who Tell the Truth” will open to the public at Bates Mill, 35 Canal St., beginning Nov. 15 and continue until Dec. 15. Hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The opening event is set for 5 p.m. Nov. 15.

More information about the project is available at americanswhotellthetruth.org.

Sun Journal Executive Editor Judith Meyer and Robert Shetterly plan to sit down for a live conversation at the Bates Mill Atrium on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged at www.tickets207.com/events/maine-voices-live-with-robert-shetterly-12-4-2024.