Agent: Lori Nowicki

Charly Palmer is known for saying “Art should change the temperature in a room.” And for more than 30 years, his art has spoken for itself. In every painting, Palmer bears witness to African ancestry and contemporary experiences—rhythmic, visual stories that shift what each viewer believes. As a fine artist, he has an innate awareness of documenting the intricacies of Blackness with depth, patterns, symbols, and textures. By existing at the intersection of creative expression and the Black experience and accepting the guidance of his ancestors, he creates, authors, and magnifies the truth and depth of Blackness. From loose sketches and tight lines to blocks of color and nuances of mixed media, his art manifests in visual expressions to the questions, “What came before?” and “What truth must be told?”

Palmer is the recipient of the 2016 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award.  He has worked with John Legend, Time Magazine and Los Angeles Lakers. Along with his wife, Karida L. Brown, Palmer edited and curated The New Brownies Book, winner of the NAACP Image Award, Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) Literary Award, and the Horn Book Award Special Citation.