Faculty artist Destiny Palmer opens exhibit, “The Narrative is Mine to Tell"

Faculty art teacher and independent artist Destiny Palmer opened her exhibit, “The Narrative is Mine to Tell”, at the Karen and Ted Koskores Gallery in Southworth Library this month.

A stunning mixed-media installation, the color-filled paintings and sculpture wrap around the 1200-square-foot space, incorporating negative space from the gallery’s architectural elements to extend the artwork.

The gallery is open to visitors during school hours.

Artist’s Statement

“Interpret, engage, reminisce, critique my work. Access and question what has been presented, allow yourself to be a part of the painting. Dissect it until you have nothing but questions and self-fulfilling answers. Allow yourself to find comfort in not knowing and maybe not understanding.”  -Destiny Palmer 

Artist's message to the installation viewer:
My work generates a conversation of confusion or acceptance. I paint because it is sometimes the only thing that makes sense. It describes both a mental and physical space. Layers of space and lines represented by forms of color that are geometric and organic, are represented on one surface. These layers create a space that becomes unlimited regardless of physical scale. The intention of my work serves two purposes. The paintings become the vehicle for my own personal experiences, through the exploration and understanding of my visual language. They strive to become an access point for an audience less likely to engage with “fine art”, yet are inclined to respond and engage through an invitation of color. 

Palmer is trained as a painter, but her work explores the intersections of painting, history, and color, allowing it to blur the lines of painting, sculpture, and installation. Her work investigates colonial American history as it relates to her own identity as [a Black woman]. Her paintings respond gesturally and the fabric works rely on materials to navigate conceptual ideas. While Palmer’s studio work is generated from personal histories, her public art is a reclamation of space. 

In the past few years, hands have shown up in her work. They are literal and symbolic references to labor. Hands have been at the center of decision-making, wealth, slavery, motherhood, etc. Hands nurture and hand harm. “When I started using hands, I wanted to talk about greed. When reading about America’s beginning, so much of it was around greed. Claiming land, people, goods, and not for a purpose but to have. That resonated with me because nothing has changed. All of the hands . . . are genderless, ageless, and not grabbing any particular thing.”