BETHEL — Gould Academy will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday by inviting Maine artist Robert Shetterly and members of the Maine-Wabanaki REACH program to speak with students and the public.
The event was organized by Arla Patch, community outreach coordinator for the Maine-Wabanaki REACH program. The theme is “Speaking the Truth and Taking Action,” she said.
According to a news release, Shetterly is most known for his portrait series, “Americans Who Tell the Truth,” which consists of portraits of citizens who “engage issues of social, environmental and economic fairness and inspire and empower action for the common good.”
Among the portraits are those of King, Susan B. Anthony and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Patch said that she first heard of Shetterly when she saw his name in a brochure.
“I saw his name on a brochure and the word ‘portrait’ in his artist description jumped off the page,” she said. “I searched his name later and was surprised to learn he was from Maine. I found his phone number and cold called him one night. I asked if he had ever heard of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and he said that he had.”
Patch said she told Shetterly about Esther Attean, a Passamaquoddy Tribal citizen and co-director of the Maine-Wabanaki REACH program, and Denise Altvater, the organization’s youth outreach and education coordinator, and the work they had done.
Attean, along with Altvater, were instrumental in the creation of the Maine Wabanaki-State Child Welfare Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The release said the commission’s purpose is to “uncover and acknowledge the truth of what happened to Wabanaki children and families in the Maine child welfare system, create opportunities to heal and learn from the truth, and collaborate to improve the child welfare system for Wabanaki children and families.”
Upon hearing about Attean and Altvater, Patch said that Shetterly painted portraits of them, which were unveiled in December 2013 in Augusta.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 20, a reception with Shetterly will be held from 4 to 6 p.m at the art gallery.
Shetterly, along with Patch and Attean, will speak to students at the academy throughout the day Monday.
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, from 10:20 to 11:20 a.m., Shetterly will present a slide show of his portraits and speak to the public about his work at the Helen Berry Auditorium.
An exhibit of 20 portraits from Shetterly’s collection is on display in Gould’s Owen Art Gallery and is open to the public from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
History students from Gould will select one of Shetterly’s portraits and write a reflective essay on it. The best reflections will be read by the students throughout the day.
“Martin Luther King Jr. Day is challenging Gould history students to think of the meaning of truth and reconciliation in American history,” history department chairman Brad Clarke said in a news release. “Both the morning and afternoon programs will help students see much deeper into the country’s history, past the names and the dates, and into the values and meaning at the core of American identity.”
For more information, contact Kimball at 824-7778 or Patch at 890-0966.
mdaigle@sunjournal.com
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