Benefit assembles voices, paintings

After the devastation of Sept. 11, 2001, Brooksville painter Robert Shetterly didn’t know how to handle his anger at the way the U.S. government handled the aftermath. So he used his painting to channel the advice and insights of great thinkers past and present and consequently reignited his own patriotic pride and hope. He looked to the works of James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., Henry David Thoreau, Susan B. Anthony and Rachel Carson for inspiration. A hundred portraits later, Shetterly and “Americans Who Tell the Truth” are still going strong. Portions of the project have traveled to other parts of the country, been featured in a book and written about in various publications. The Web site www.americanswhotellthetruth.org documents the entire history. Shetterly will be presenting paintings from the series in a concert with the Voices for Peace Choir from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at the Brick Church at Union and Main streets in Bangor. The concert, which features original works written to accompany Shetterly’s art, will celebrate the power of words, music and art in the pursuit of justice. A benefit for the Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine, admission is a suggested donation of $10. Children under 12 are free. For information, call 942-9343.