In 2012, Carolyn was commissioned to create larger than life-size bronze busts of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt for the entrance foyer of the FDR Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, New York. The New York Times photographed and published her work for a featured article on the newly renovated library's opening in 2013. Carolyn's sculptures now greet over 895,000 visitors each year.
Palmer's Roosevelt sculptures received rave reviews at Hyde Park. This prompted her to create a limited edition of nine bronze castings from the original molds. Her second edition is in the permanent collection of The New York Historical, the oldest museum in New York City. The sculptures traveled internationally with Norman Rockwell's tour, "Rockwell, Roosevelt and the Four Freedoms." This six-city tour began at The New York Historical in May 2018 and ended in Normandy, France in 2020.
The third edition is in the lobby of the Sara Delano Roosevelt House at Hunter College in NYC and the fourth edition is at the New York State Museum in Albany, NY where they were featured in an exhibition in 2014.
CBS and Eye Productions Inc. contacted Palmer for her sculptures to be displayed on the television series "Madam Secretary" which aired 6 seasons and 120 episodes.
In 2015 Carolyn unanimously won a national competition among 68 sculptors to create a monument of a life-size bronze Lucille Ball statue for Ball's hometown park in Celoron, NY. The unveiling celebration was on Lucy's birthday, August 6, 2016. Carolyn's sculpture received worldwide recognition and was covered by the Associated Press, New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, USA Today, Huffington Post, Time Magazine, Business Insider, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, Today show, Yahoo News, Hollywood Reporter, Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and many other international networks. Carolyn was also interviewed by the BBC and NPR broadcasting networks.
Her sculptures of Orville and Wilbur Wright were commissioned by a Sanford/Orlando (FL) Airport and displayed in the terminal entrance. Terrwilliger Productions (a Los Angeles-based aviation motion picture production company) purchased a second edition of her Wright Brothers sculptures.
The National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) commissioned sculptures of Governor Mario M Cuomo as awards for people in public service. The first miniature award was given at the NIAF Gala at Cipriani's in NYC.
Another prestigious commission was for a monument of her larger-than-life-size (full figure) bronze of Thomas Jefferson for the entrance lobby of the distinguished Jefferson Center in Syracuse N.Y. A televised celebration was unveiled by Mayor Matt Driscoll in 2004.
Carolyn was recently chosen to create a full life-size bronze figure of the revered Preston Smith, a pioneer of the ski industry and the founder of Killington Vermont Ski area.
In 2015, Carolyn sculpted a larger than life-size bust of Pope Francis in honor of his visit to the USA. This sculpture greeted the Holy Father in the foyer of the papal residence in NYC where he blessed the sculpture. This was the scultpure that led to the commission for all four bronze busts permanently installed at St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC.
She was also chosen by former Mayor Christopher Doherty of Scranton, PA to create a life-size park scene of Scranton natives, Vice-President Joe Biden and former Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey. Fundrasing has begun to complete the project.