The Berea Arts Council is excited to announce that we will host a one-week exhibit of 10 portraits painted by Maine Artist Robert Shetterly as part of his Americans Who Tell the Truth series. Initially he planned to paint 50 portraits of people who inspired him. The number has grown to 260. A book titled "Americans Who Tell the Truth" written and illustrated by Shetterly, was published by Dutton Children's Books in 2005.

The exhibit is funded by MDC in conjunction with its State of the South: Central Appalachia conference that takes place April 19-20, 2023, in Berea. The exhibit includes brief biographies and portraits of Muhammad Ali, Barbara Johns, John Hunter, Niki Giovanni, Wendell Berry, Judy Bonds, Larry Gibson, Anne Braden, Myles Horton, and Berea native Teri Blanton.

Blanton, who is known for her environmental activism, will attend the opening reception on Friday, April 14, from 6 until 8 p.m and is free to attend.

The exhibit runs from Thursday, April 13, through the following Wednesday, April 19.

MDC is a non-profit organizations that "equips Southern leaders, institutions, and communities to improve economic mobility and advance equity, shaping a South where all people thrive.” (https://www.mdcinc.org/
(https://www.mdcinc.org/)