BUCKSPORT – The Castine Historical Society is pleased to sponsor a free screening of “Truth Tellers,” the documentary story of Maine artist Robert Shetterly’s art and activism and a history lesson in what it means to be a citizen of a democracy. The screening will be held on Saturday, Aug. 20 at 2 p.m. at the Alamo Theatre, 85 Main Street in Bucksport.
Sedgwick and Brooksville: The documentary filmmaker, Richard Kane, and the artist, Robert Shetterly, will be present at the screening to introduce the documentary and take questions following the presentation. In addition the Q&A will include Shetterly’s portrait subjects and environmental activists Sherri Mitchell and Tim DeChristopher. There will also be a book and DVD signing and sale.
See eBlast for photos and details: https://shoutout.wix.com/so/c7OAE3VFs?languageTag=en
Sherri Mitchell is the daughter of two First Nations, the Penobscot and the Passamaquoddy tribes, whose sovereign territories are found within the borders of the state of Maine. Both nations are members of the Wabanaki Confederacy, which also includes the Mi’kmaq, Maliseet, and Abenaki peoples, and the Indigenous Algonquian language group. But it is in clear, powerful English that Sherri delivers the message of our interconnected and shared histories and our inextricable reliance on the vast and beautiful web of life.
Tim DeChristopher is an environmental activist and founder of Peaceful Uprising, an organization dedicated to creating livable futures and empowering nonviolent action. Today, Tim is best known for an act of civil disobedience in which he disrupted a government oil and gas lease auction in order to protect fragile land in southern Utah from long term damage.
The 2022 film documents some of artist/activist Robert Shetterly’s 250 portraits of Americans, past and present, who have confronted social, environmental, and economic issues. The series entitled “Americans Who Tell the Truth” has been exhibited throughout the United States for the past two decades. The documentary is both a story of Shetterly’s art and activism and a history lesson in what it means to be a citizen of a democracy. In bringing Shetterly’s message to a wide audience, “Truth Tellers” continues to spark a national conversation on truth telling.
The film’s director, producer, and cinematographer is Richard Kane, an independent director whose work is focused on the intersection of art and contemporary American life. Kane’s films include the 20 films from the Maine Master collection, a New England Emmy-nominated series of portraits of artists that airs on public television. With partner Melody Lewis-Kane, their company, Kane-Lewis Productions, has worked for National Geographic, The Discovery Channel, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the White House Office of Technology Policy among many others.
For the past twenty years, Shetterly has been painting the series of portraits entitled “Americans Who Tell the Truth.” The exhibit has been traveling to over 30 states since 2003. In 2005, Dutton published a book of the portraits by the same name. In 2006, the book won the top award of the International Reading Association for Intermediate non-fiction. Currently, New Village Press in NYC is publishing a series of theme-based books of the portraits. Portraits of Racial Justice came out a year ago. His latest book in the “Americans Who Tell the Truth” series, “Portraits of Earth Justice” has just been published. Copies of his books will be available for signing and sale at the close of the program.
The screening is part of a series of education programs to accompany the Castine Historical Society’s 2022 exhibit, “Clark Fitz-Gerald: Castine’s Celebrated Sculptor-in-Residence” which explores the life and work of the sculptor, Clark Fitz-Gerald (1917-2004). On display are Fitz-Gerald’s sculptures lent from private collections, along with Fitz-Gerald’s drawings, historic photographs, and writings from the Clark Fitz-Gerald archival collection donated to the Castine Historical Society by the family in 2017.
The Castine Historical Society serves as a window into Castine’s extraordinary past. The Historical Society preserves local history and hosts permanent and temporary exhibitions as well as lectures, education events, town walking tours, and house and garden tours. Exhibits are on display in its Abbott School gallery at 17 School Street, Castine. The Grindle House offices and research library are located at 13 School Street, Castine.
The Historical Society exhibits are free and open through Oct. 10. For details on hours, please visit the website at castinehistoricalsociety.org. Free one-hour walking tours of Castine are offered Friday, Saturday, and Monday at 10 a.m. also through Oct. 10. For further information about exhibits, events, and the Historical Society visit castinehistoricalsociety.org, call 207-326-4118, or email [email protected].
