Charly Palmer is an artist, illustrator, and teacher whose distinguished career spans over 30 years. Utilizing pattern, symbol, and texture, he creates rhythmic visual storytelling that bear witness to African ancestry and the contemporary experience. By existing at the intersection of creative expression and ancestral guidance, he documents and magnifies the truth, depth, and intricacies of Blackness.
In 2020, Palmer was selected by John Legend to create the cover art for his Grammy Award-winning album ‘Bigger Love’, and was also chosen by TIME Magazine to illustrate their July 2020 “America Must Change” cover. Palmer also created the 47th Black Heritage Series stamp honoring Constance Baker Motley for the U.S. Postal Service’s 2024 collection. For his work in children’s literature, Palmer received the 2018 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Illustrator Award and the 2023 Notable Wisconsin Author/Illustrator for Youth Literature.
Born in Fayette, Alabama and raised in Wisconsin, Palmer studied at the American Academy of Art and the School of Art Institute of Chicago. Palmer resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife, Dr. Karida Brown, with whom he co-authored the highly acclaimed The New Brownies Book: A Love Letter to Black Families.
