Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE) brought Americans Who Tell the Truth to St. Louis in August 2023.

The opening reception was held on a Friday evening at The Gallery, 17081 N Outer 40 Road. The opening featured Artist Robert Shetterly’unveiling of his new portrait of Debbie Njai, founder of Black People Who Hike. The evening also included food and beverages, music, and remarks from Debbie Njai, Robert Shetterly, and MCE representatives.

MCE promoted the exhibit as an invitation to the community to become more engaged:

“Using art as a vehicle for both inspiration and education provides a unique opportunity to engage new people in causes they were previously unaware of. Combining art with environmental issues gives people a new perspective on how they can incorporate environmental values in their everyday lives and how environmental issues affect all of us, regardless of income, race, or geography. Art inspires us, amuses us, and challenges us in many ways, and MCE intends to use the power of art to engage more people in environmental issues with the Americans Who Tell The Truth exhibition.

“Americans Who Tell The Truth is a traveling art exhibition and community engagement opportunity that displays portraits of change makers who are focused on promoting democratic ideals and improving communities throughout the U.S. The artist, Robert Shetterly, has been painting portraits of these Americans for 20 years, and in 2021 there was a documentary released, Truth Tellers, that tells the story of Robert’s work and some of the people from his portraits.”

The exhibit integrated the art of local artists with ten AWTT portraits of environmental change makers.

St. Louis public radio interviewed Robert Shetterly and Debbie Njai about the unveiling and about their work.