Rob's Blog
Death of a Warbler
I was sitting at the kitchen table reading Elizabeth Kolbert’s article in The New Yorker (May 20, 2019) about species extinction. Such a litany of
On Getting Arrested at Bath Iron Works
A couple of weeks ago I chose to get arrested at a demonstration at Bath Iron Works (BIW) in Bath, Maine. The day was cold,
How to Think about Frederick Douglass’s Feet or Clay
Not saints, flawed human beings. I’ve told people ever since I began painting the Americans Who Tell the Truth portraits: I don’t paint saints. They’re
Fairness. A Sparrow. A Robin.
I was driving home from the Conners Emerson School in Bar Harbor where I had spent the day with three first grade and one fourth
Every Cog and Wheel
“To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.” – Aldo Leopold On reading Jill Lepore’s masterful new history of the
Some Reflections on the Portrait Exhibit at Syracuse University
AWTT artist Robert Shetterly describes his experience being in the midst of all of his portraits in a major exhibit at Syracuse University.
Accountability, History, Identity & the Liberty Medal
Recently the Texas board of education decided to remove slavery from its school textbooks. When a story isn’t told, or its truth is altered, it
On the Supreme Court Putting a Stay on Juliana v. U.S.
“Government actions knowingly and willfully created the climate crisis. From this crisis young and future generations face increasing dangers. As courageous, creative changemakers we have
Voting for the Lesser of Evils
Since I’ve been old enough to vote – 50 years now – I’ve felt, except maybe once or twice, that I was voting for the