NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Described as a gifted visual historian, Charly Palmer is an award-winning artist who has combined paint and mixed media to explore the black experience in different eras and Native American and Jewish history. His works will be on display at Vanderbilt University‘s Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center Oct. 20-Dec. 1 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
The public is invited to a reception for Palmer on Friday, Oct. 20, 2:30 to 5 p.m. at the Black Cultural Center. Nicholas Zeppos, provost of the university, will make remarks at the event.
Palmer‘s paintings involve a central figure enhanced with the mixed media elements of photographic images, fabrics and signs. He has chosen to tell stories of “unsung heroes” with significant historical impact. His art is social, political and often focuses on African American historical subjects. “I AM A MAN,” a piece painted in 2000, is a tribute to the 1968 strike by black Sanitation Department workers in Memphis.
“As an artist I am constantly thinking about the importance or relevance of my visual statement. What I try to document in my images is the strength and the courage of the unsung hero. I know that the more we learn of our past, the better prepared we will be for our future,” Palmer said.
In his art he has explored slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, the Negro Sports League and musical eras. However, his work has not been limited to the African American experience. Earlier this year, he painted a series on Jewish history, including the early occupation of Germany and their lives before the Holocaust. He has also turned his focus on Native Americans and their history.
Born in Alabama and raised in Milwaukee, Palmer‘s earliest artistic influences can be traced back to when his 5-year-old imagination was inspired by the illustrations in The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. His later influences include artists Gustav Klimt, Carl Owens, Paul Goodnight, Joseph Holston and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Among his accomplishments are commissions to create the posters for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. One of his works was also featured on the groundbreaking 1990s comedy sketch television show, “In Living Color.”
The Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center and Dragon Fine Arts are presenting Palmer‘s exhibit at Vanderbilt. For more information, visit www.vanderbilt.edu/bcc.
For more news about Vanderbilt, visit VUCast – Vanderbilt‘s News Network at www.vanderbilt.edu/news.
Media contact: Princine Lewis, 615-322-NEWS
princine.l.lewis@vanderbilt.edu