I wanted to call your attention to a traveling exhibit of portraits entitled: Americans Who Tell the Truth.

Americans Who Tell the Truth, which includes more than 100 paintings, was created as artist Robert Shetterly’s answer to the attacks of 9/11 and what he saw happening in America.

I began painting this series of portraits — finding great Americans who spoke the truth and combining their images with their words — nearly three years ago as a way of to channel my anger and grief. In the process my respect and love for these people and their courage helped to transform that anger into hope and pride and allowed me to draw strength from this community of truth tellers, finding in them the courage, honesty, tolerance, generosity, wisdom and compassion that have made our country strong. One lesson that can be learned from all of these Americans is that the greatness of our country frequently depends not on the letter of the law, but the insistence of a single person that we adhere to the spirit of the law. Robert Shetterly

Not only are the portraits beautiful and instructive but seeing these Americans, so different in socio-economic status, race, religion and gender, speaking their truth, is tangible motivation for us to speak out our own truth as quietly or as loudly as we can manage.

CHECK OUT the website Americans Who Tell the Truth. You can see all of the portraits and read biographies of each subject.

This series is also available as a coffee table book and on notecards. Buy some cards and deal them out to your friends.

Have a great Saturday.