Carolyn D. Palmer
Carolyn D. Palmer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Chester, New York, U.S. |
| Education | Nazareth College (BA) |
| Known for | Sculpture |
| Notable work | Statue of Lucille Ball (Celoron, NY) Statue of Frank Sinatra (Hoboken, NJ) Papal Busts (St. Patrick's Cathedral NYC) Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt (FDR Library and Museum) |
| Movement | Classical Realism |
| Website | https://www.palmersculptures.com |
Carolyn D. Palmer is an American sculptor known for large-scale bronze public monuments depicting historical and cultural figures. She gained national attention in 2016 after being selected from a national competition to create a replacement statue of Lucille Ball in Celoron, New York, following widespread criticism of an earlier version by sculptor, Dave Poulin. Her commissions include monuments to Frank Sinatra in Hoboken, New Jersey, four papal busts permanently installed at the entrances to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, and sculptures of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt at the entrance to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York.[1]
Early life and education
Palmer was born and raised in Chester, New York.[2] During her youth, she primarily focused on painting and drawing, though she also practiced sculpting informally. She attended John S. Burke Catholic High School in Goshen, New York, where she was awarded the art medal upon her graduation.[3] In 2017, Palmer was inducted into the John S Burke High School Hall of Fame.[4][5]
Palmer initially enrolled at Wells College in Aurora, NY, to study the sciences with the intention of pursuing a career in medical illustration and medicine.[3][6] During a summer break from college, Palmer studied the collections of The Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. She was influenced by the works of 18th- and 19th-century French sculptors Jean-Antoine Houdon and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux.[7][8] Following her exposure to European sculpture, she transferred to Nazareth College in Rochester, New York, where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree and a concentration in art education.[8]
Although largely autodidactic in the technical application of bronze sculpture, Palmer developed her style through private study of the Old Masters.[6]
Career
Palmer initially began her professional career as a portrait painter and art educator before moving on to sculpture. Her first major sculpture commission was a larger-than-life-size bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson for the Jefferson Center in Syracuse, NY.[9]
Palmer uses the traditional 6000-year-old lost-wax casting technique, in which a duplicate wax model is made from a mold taken from her original model to create a bronze casting.[10][11]
Notable works
Lucille Ball (2016)
In 2016, Palmer was selected from a national competition to create a replacement for a 2009 statue of Lucille Ball in Celoron, New York, sculpted by artist Dave Poulin, which had been widely criticized and nicknamed "Scary Lucy."[1][12] The new 6-foot bronze depicts Ball in a 1950s-era polka-dot dress. It was inaugurated on 6 August 2016, during the Lucy Fest, with the earlier statue being moved to a different location in the same park.[13][14]
Frank Sinatra (2021)
Palmer was commissioned by the city of Hoboken, New Jersey, to create a monument to hometown legend Frank Sinatra for his 106th birthday. The 6-foot bronze depicts Sinatra at age 45, leaning against a lamppost and wearing a fedora.[15] The statue of Frank Sinatra is located in Sinatra Park along the Hudson River waterfront.[16]
Papal and religious works
In 2018, four larger-than-life-size bronze papal busts created by Palmer were permanently installed in the Fifth Avenue entrance vestibules of St. Patrick's Cathedral. The busts depict Pope Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis.[17] Palmer had previously created a marble bust of Pope Francis that was blessed by the pontiff during his 2015 visit to the United States.[8]
Other major commissions
| Subject | Year | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Jefferson | 2004 | Syracuse, NY | One of her early bronze commissions[9] |
| Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt | 2013 | Hyde Park, NY | Permanent installation at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum entrance. A second set is in the Sara Delano Roosevelt Memorial House, now owned by Hunter College, and the third set is in the permanent collection of the New York Historical Museum in NYC. Palmer’s Roosevelt sculptures traveled in 2018 -2020 with the Norman Rockwell six-city international tour, Enduring Ideals: Rockwell, Roosevelt & the Four Freedoms.[18] |
| Governor Mario Cuomo | 2017 | Commissioned by the National Italian American Foundation to create Governor Mario Cuomo bronze busts.[7] | |
| Sarah Loguen Fraser | 2025 | Syracuse, NY | Honoring one of the first African American woman physicians.[19] |
| Elizabeth Blackwell | 2025 | Syracuse, NY | Honoring the first woman to receive a medical degree in the U.S.[19] |
| Courtyard of the Founding Mothers | 2025 | Syracuse, NY | Palmer was selected from a national competition to create the two female doctors for the “Courtyard of the Founding Mothers” at SUNY Upstate Medical University.[20] |
See also
References
- 1 2 Staff (2016-08-06). "New Lucille Ball statue replaces 'Scary Lucy' in actor's hometown". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ "Artist creates sculptures honoring pioneering women". Chronicle Newspaper. January 28, 2026. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- 1 2 Privitar, Ginny (December 20, 2018). "Sculptor Carolyn Palmer breathes life into famous faces". The Chronicle. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ Writer, Staff. "Burke High School inducts Hall of Fame honorees". Times Herald-Record. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ "Congratulations to the John S. Burke Catholic High School 2017 Hall of Fame Inductees". www.burkecatholic.com. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- 1 2 Privitar, Ginny. "Frank Sinatra returns to Hoboken in style". Township Journal. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- 1 2 "NJ Artist Carolyn Palmer Commissioned by St. Patrick's Cathedral". VUE magazine. November 18, 2018. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- 1 2 3 "Carolyn D. Palmer – The Sculptor You Have Likely Encountered More Times Than You Know". Gazeta Dielli. February 19, 2022. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- 1 2 Gilmore, Nicholas (2019-04-24). "3D Printing the Old-Fashioned Way". The Saturday Evening Post. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ "Life Like". Design New Jersey. Archived from the original on 2025-01-23. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "Invigorating Life Size Bronzes with Classic Realism". copper.org. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ Abrams, Amah-Rose (August 8, 2016). "'Scary Lucy' Lucille Ball Statue Finally Replaced in New York Town". Artnet News. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ Rogers, Katie (August 9, 2016). "'Scary Lucy' Statue Is Replaced on Anniversary of Comedian's 105th Birthday". The New York Times. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ Staff, T. H. R. (2016-08-02). "New Lucille Ball Statue Replacing "Scary Lucy" to Be Unveiled Saturday". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ Zeitlinger, Ron (December 12, 2021). "Frank Sinatra returns to Hoboken in bronze. See the statue unveiling". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ "6-Foot Statue Of Legendary Frank Sinatra Unveiled In Hoboken". CBS News. December 12, 2021. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ "NJ sculptor behind pope statues at St. Patrick's Cathedral". ABC7NY. December 4, 2018. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ "The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum presents a public unveiling ceremony of the Library's new Carolyn D. Palmer bronze sculptures of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt". fdrlibrary.org. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- 1 2 Stoltz, Marsha A. "Saddle River sculptor behind statues of first U.S. women doctors". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ↑ Quigley, Mikayla (2025-10-21). "Bronze tributes to pioneering women physicians unveiled at SUNY Upstate Medical University". WSTM. Retrieved 2026-03-12.