Amazing Hero Art Comes To NMS

By Laurie Borst

On Friday morning, October 6, Rob Surette brought his Amazing Hero Art show, Be Somebody! to Newtown Middle School. The multimedia show is an enlightening experience accompanied by light and sound.

Mr Surette bills himself as the “fastest portrait artist in the world.” He has a vast repertoire of famous faces of today and yesteryear that he can create in under ten minutes. While he paints, two screens on either side of the stage show a video that narrates the performance.

As Mr Surette takes the stage, the video shows Celine Dion singing “God Bless America.” While scenes representative of Americana flash by, Abraham Lincoln takes shape on the canvas. Other patriot songs are sung. A message of acceptance and tolerance is heard.

When Abe is finished, the music and images change. Hungry, homeless children come into view. Footage of Mother Teresa is shown. While the narrator extols the virtue of helping others, Mr Surette produces a portrait of Mother Teresa.

Angelina Jolie, Sean Astin (Sam Gamgee in Lord of the Rings), Luis Hernandez, among others, grace the screen and speak about volunteering. Everyone has stress and problems. Helping others, touching their lives, leads to reducing stress.

Mr Surette then addressed the crowd. “Lincoln had courage, he stood up for others. Mother Teresa helped the world’s poorest. We can all stand up for others, help others.

“And you can use the power in your brain. Ideas can change the world,” he added.

The video showed footage of Marie Curie, discoverer of radiation, Arthur Fleming, who discovered penicillin, Edison, Pasteur, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Gutenberg. The work of each was briefly discussed. Lastly, the “most brilliant man of the 20th Century” is discussed.

While this is going on, the image of wild white hair is taking shape. “Albert Einstein was not a good student. But he was a survivor,” explained Mr Surette. “Another survivor was Beethoven. He ended up going deaf. These men accomplished great things, despite adversity. Don’t let anyone ever put you down.”

Before he was finished, the narrator had introduced Walt Disney, whose creative mind changed the world through film and cartoon. Gandhi brought the message of change through peaceful resistance. His life inspired Martin Luther King, Jr, to take a stand in America for Civil Rights.

The last painting Mr Surette produced was of Dr King. While he painted, the catalyst for the Civil Rights movement, Rosa Parks, appeared on screen, along with footage of segregated areas.

In under an hour, Mr Surette covered a vast array of historical figures, created six portraits, and left the students with this message:

“You can all make a difference in the world. Use your talents. Remember, it comes from your heart. Luck doesn’t have anything to do with it. Follow your passion.”