About the Artist

Carolyn D Palmer is an internationally recognized American sculptor whose monumental bronze works are shaped not only by her hands, but by an unwavering commitment to the human soul. Working at the intersection of history and empathy, Palmer sculpts from the inside out—seeking not simply to record physical likeness, but to reveal the inner life, moral strength, and quiet courage of those she honors. Her sculptures carry presence. They breathe. They invite reflection, reverence, and human connection.

Palmer’s work is distinguished by a rare ability to translate emotional truth into enduring form. Each sculpture begins with deep historical research and contemplative immersion, allowing her to understand not only who her subjects were, but what they carried within them. Through this process, bronze becomes a vessel for memory, conscience, and spirit—transforming public spaces into places of meaning and shared humanity.

Among her most sacred and historic commissions are four larger-than-life bronze busts permanently installed at the Fifth Avenue entrance vestibules of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, honoring Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Paul VI. This extraordinary series followed her 2015 sculpture of Pope Francis, created in honor of his visit to the United States. Personally blessed by the Holy Father in the papal residence in New York, the work marked a profound convergence of art, faith, and history, leading directly to the Cathedral’s landmark commission.

Palmer’s national reputation was firmly established through her commission to sculpt President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for the entrance of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York. Featured by The New York Times, the sculptures now welcome nearly one million visitors each year. More than representations of power, these works convey resilience, partnership, and moral leadership. Editions reside in the permanent collections of The New-York Historical Society, the New York State Museum, and Hunter College, and traveled internationally with the exhibition Rockwell, Roosevelt, and the Four Freedoms, concluding in Normandy, France.

Her capacity to honor transformational lives led to her unanimous selection in a national competition to create bronze sculptures of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell—the first woman to earn a medical degree in the United States—and Dr. Sarah Loguen Fraser, one of the first African American women physicians. These works embody two seismic breakthroughs in medical history: the opening of the profession to women and the inclusion of Black women in medical education. Palmer approached these figures not as symbols alone, but as women of courage, intellect, and inner fire—sculpting their determination, vulnerability, and strength into bronze.

Palmer was also unanimously chosen from sixty-eight sculptors to create the iconic Lucille Ball monument in Celoron, New York. Unveiled on Ball’s birthday, the sculpture resonated immediately with the public, receiving worldwide recognition and extensive international media coverage from the Associated Press, The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, CNN, NBC, and the BBC. Beyond its cultural impact, the work captures Ball’s irrepressible spirit—humor, humanity, and joy—qualities that continue to draw visitors from around the world.

Her body of work extends across presidential, cultural, scientific, and popular realms, including sculptures of Stuart Weitzman for the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design and the National Museum of American Jewish History; Thomas Jefferson; Orville and Wilbur Wright; Governor Mario M. Cuomo; and Preston Smith. Her sculptures have also appeared in the television series Madam Secretary, reflecting their ability to resonate beyond traditional art spaces and into contemporary cultural consciousness.

In recognition of her profound contribution to the arts, Palmer was awarded an honorary doctorate from St. Peter’s University in Jersey City. The honor reflects not only her technical mastery, but her devotion to scholarship, narrative integrity, and the moral responsibility of the artist as witness and storyteller.

Through every commission—whether sacred or civic, historical or contemporary—Carolyn Palmer sculpts with empathy, reverence, and emotional truth. Her works do not merely commemorate lives; they hold them. In bronze, she preserves the human spirit, allowing future generations to encounter history not as distant fact, but as living presence. Palmer continues to create major public works throughout the United States and internationally, affirming her place as an artist who shapes history through soul.