Fisk University tabs Charly Palmer to create Sesquicentennial Art Project for Fisk

Vincent Leal, Chairman of the General Alumni Association of Fisk University, Inc. (G.A.A.F.U.), announced today that Charly Palmer of Atlanta, GA has been selected as the artist for G.A.A.F.U.’s 2016 Sesquicentennial Art Project.

“We are excited about the committee’s selection of Mr. Palmer for this project. We feel strongly that Mr. Palmer has captured and internalized the essence of Fisk University’s Sesquicentennial, and will present a work of art worthy of standing alongside other famed artists displayed in the University’s Carl Van Vechten and Aaron Douglas Art Galleries,” said Leal.

The work will commemorate the sesquicentennial of historic Fisk University, embodying the University’s enduring spirit. Fisk University, the oldest institution of higher learning in Nashville, TN and among the oldest Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), was founded in 1866, and will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2016. The original artwork will be presented to the University as an addition to its highly acclaimed permanent collection and rotated between the University’s Carl Van Vechten Gallery and Aaron Douglas Gallery.

Palmer is a nationally recognized artist and visual historian known for chronicling multiple histories: civil rights, music, sports and American history. Palmer has made a masterful and smooth transition from the specifically objective works of his earlier career to abstract works of the recent past.

This project will represent Fisk University’s 150th anniversary, and 150 signed, limited editions of the commemorative art work will be reproduced for sale. “We invite members of the G.A.A.F.U. to be among the first to purchase one of the limited prints. More information on the availability and process to obtain a limited edition print will be provided later,” said Leal.

The General Alumni Association of Fisk University was incorporated in Nashville, Tennessee in 1985. It is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization whose sole mission is to support Fisk University. The primary activities of the Association center on student recruitment and fundraising for Fisk University.
About Fisk University

Founded in 1866, Fisk University will celebrate its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2016. Fisk received a charter for the first chapter of The Phi Beta Kappa Society on a predominantly black campus in 1953. The school’s outstanding faculty and students continue to enhance the University’s national reputation for academic excellence, which is validated year after year by leading third party reviewers, as well as by the continuous pool of talented applicants and large percentage of alumni who complete graduate and/or professional degrees, becoming leaders and scholars in their fields.