Case Study

Bates Mill Mega Exhibit

Large AWTT exhibit in a historic community setting

For the second time ever the entire collection of Americans Who Tell the Truth portraits was on display from mid-November through mid-December 2024, at the Bates Mill Atrium in Lewiston, Maine. This special exhibition featured more than 270 portraits of Americans—ranging from historical icons, such as Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, to contemporary activists, including Bill McKibben and Julia Butterfly Hill.

Bates Mill2The Bates Mill, an iconic structure in Lewiston, served as an inspiring backdrop for this exhibit. Once a hub of textile manufacturing, the mill has been repurposed into a cultural space that fosters creativity and community engagement. The juxtaposition of Shetterly’s portraits against the industrial aesthetic of the mill created a unique atmosphere, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in both the art and the history of the space. AWTT artist Robert Shetterly was moved by the visual effect of all of his portraits on display in this historic setting: “they become a congregation, an interactive mural, a chorus, a joyful song for justice.”

Although most future exhibits will not rival this show in size, the steps involved in staging the month-long event and some of the programming and resources employed may be instructive for future exhibit hosts.

The exhibit featured workshops, discussions, guided tours, and other interactive opportunities, encouraging visitors to engage deeply with the portraits. The exhibit was designed to welcome community members into vital conversations—across time and space—about their responsibilities for shaping a just, healthy, democratic society and the roles they can play in promoting truth within their communities.

Publicity

In addition to the usual press releases, posters, and media announcements, the promotion for this exhibit included a short video.

Docents

Visiting an exhibit of all 276 Americans Who Tell the Truth portraits – or even a smaller collection – is a powerful experience and often elicits the question “Where do I start?” Community docents, trained by AWTT, introduced the exhibit and offered ideas about how to make the most of a time-limited visit – a service that was appreciated by many visitors. Some docents shared their favorite portraits and stories as a way to begin the exploration. Note: It is helpful to have an “on the ground” docent coordinator to help with scheduling and provide feedback from visitors to the organizers.

School Visits

AWTT strongly encourages school visits to any exhibit. A “point person” can schedule the visits and coordinate with any docents, if they are available. Teachers who prepare their students by familiarizing them with the portrait collection before visiting the exhibit report better results. Preliminary activities could include:

    • class discussion of social justice issues

    • discussion focusing on a topic of interest to your students (e.g. environmental justice, racial justice, youth activism, political leaders)

AWTT also offers Scavenger Hunts for visiting students.  Large groups of students should be divided into smaller groups for viewing the exhibit and participating in exhibit-related activities.

Truth Tellers Poster NewTruth Tellers Documentary

The inspirational AWTT documentary film Truth Tellers is a popular tool for introducing exhibit-goers to artist Robert Shetterly and the portrait series. The documentary is available through Bullfrog Films.

View trailer here.

Exhibit Opening

A scheduled opening offers people the opportunity not only to see the exhibit but also to experience a short program that may feature any of the following: artist Robert Shetterly, brief comments from a few living portrait subjects, and/or educators and community members who have had the opportunity to previously engage with the collection.

At the opening of the exhibit in Lewiston, Sherri Mitchell, AWTT portrait subject and Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribal member, noted the significance of Shetterly’s work: “He has done more for the advancement of women’s rights, black rights, indigenous rights, and environmental justice than any other person I know, and he has done that by amplifying the work of those who are doing that work in the world.” In a compelling address, Mitchell went on to challenge attendees to become “individually and collectively reflective.”

A reception by invitation following the opening offers people the opportunity to have a more intimate conversation with the AWTT Team and with portrait subjects in attendance.

Workshop for Educators

Workshops for educators can offer a number of options:

    • time to view the portraits

    • an opportunity to learn about and interact with AWTT education programs and lessons

    • a panel discussion with living portrait subjects, educators who have used AWTT in their classrooms, students who have experienced interacting with AWTT as part of their curriculum

    • opportunities to create art and/or share stories inspired by AWTT portraits and narratives

      Bates Mill Opening Reception1
      AWTT portrait subject Sherri Mitchell speaking at the Bates Mill Exhibit opening reception

Workshops for pre-service teachers challenge them to expand their ideas of how to offer project-based and service-learning opportunities to their future students.

Speakers, Panels and Public Discussions

The Bates Mill exhibit offered several of these opportunities, which proved to be quite popular with the community. The possibilities are limitless:

    • feature local portrait subjects as speakers or panelists, or speak to AWWT staff about bringing a distant portrait subject to your area (maybe virtually?)

    • offer a lecture and discussion with AWTT artist Robert Shetterly; (For the Bates Mill exhibit, Shetterly did a live interview with a local media host.)

    • sponsor local activists to offer a panel discussion on a topic of local interest

I will be using this exhibit’s impact on the students to inspire them all year.  

 

Teacher, Breakwater School

Bring Americans Who Tell the Truth (AWTT) original portraits to your community.