Wells Fargo Commissions Original Art Depicting the African American Experience

Company enlists African American artist Keith Rosemond II to create
illustrations inspired by real stories from its #MyUntoldstorytelling
campaign

CHARLOTTE, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) recently commissioned Atlanta-based
artist Keith Rosemond II to create six original illustrations depicting
the African American experience. The personal stories were selected from #MyUntold,
the company’s online-storytelling collection which provides the African
American community an opportunity to share stories reflecting their
cultural identity. Wells Fargo will surprise the six storytellers with
Rosemond’s original illustrations, and feature additional designs from
Rosemond on debit and credit card designs through Wells Fargo’s Card
Design Studio
® service.


“We’ve collected hundreds of stories through the #MyUntold
campaign. People are genuinely moved by the opportunity
to have their voices heard and become part of a movement that deepens
cultural awareness,” said Lisa Frison, vice president, African American
segment strategy leader, Wells Fargo. “We continue to explore new ways
to connect with communities in meaningful ways – and in this case we’re
excited to support local artists like Keith to help us bring these rich
stories to life in other mediums.”

Rosemond has formal training as an illustrator and graphic designer from
the Savannah College of Art and Design and has an appreciation for both
traditional and contemporary art. According to the artist, he creates
artwork that blends two great passions: spiritual growth and music. “I
am honored to work with Wells Fargo to memorialize some of the
inspirational #MyUntold stories,” said Rosemond. “The
intersection of oral and visual storytelling is powerful and I’m proud
that my artwork is associated with this program.”

#MyUntold Storytellers Inspire Art

One of the first featured storytellers is Ross
Oscar Knight,
who shared his struggles with overcoming cultural
adversity and a speech disorder in grade school. “It was so embarrassing
to explain my thoughts only to end up tripping over a pile of words,”
said Knight in his #MyUntold
story.

Rosemond
depicted Knight’s story
through a pen-and-ink illustration of how a
teacher helped him overcome stuttering with the gift of a disposable
camera and an assignment to chronicle his daily life. This was a turning
point for Knight who noted: “As I referred to the images as visual cues
I was able to speak clearly! That’s when I fell in love with the
transformative power of photography.” Today, Knight works as an
international photographer and speaker.

“I’ve always enjoyed drawing inspiration from poetry and abstract
thoughts, so hearing stories like Ross’ and having the opportunity to
dig deep and find the underlying meaning was great. Through this
experience and the #MyUntold
platform I have learned that history is being written now and so many
people have so many stories to tell,” added Rosemond.

Wells Fargo Untold Stories Collection
Customized Debit and Credit Card Designs

Wells Fargo also commissioned Rosemond to craft three original pieces
for customized debit and credit card designs, inspired by the spirit of
the stories on the #MyUntold
platform. Designs include:

  • Look Up: mimics stained glass, with aspiration and
    optimism coming to life in a card design that represents an enduring
    will to live an inspired life and to inspire others.
  • Family Bonds: symbolizes the strength and unity that
    holds the African American family together.
  • Hip Hop Legacy: reflects the birth of a culture. The
    “boom-box” design celebrates the influence of hip-hop on all facets of
    American and global culture – from music, to dialect to fashion, and
    beyond.

In celebration of Black History Month, customers can now order
customized debit and credit card designs featuring exclusive art from
Rosemond through Wells Fargo’s Card
Design Studio®
service.

Customers with eligible debit and credit cards can simply sign on to wellsfargo.com
to access Card Design Studio® (Untold Stories Collection category in the
Image Library) and choose from one of three designs.

“Great care went into developing each design,” said Candace McCullom,
vice president, marketing program manager, Wells Fargo. “Our team worked
closely with Keith to ensure the imagery celebrated very important
aspects of African American culture. We are beyond excited to release
the designs to customers, and grateful to extend the #MyUntold
experience in an innovative way as the nation honors Black History
Month.”

For more information on the stories that influenced the art, or to share
your story, please visit www.wellsfargo.com/myuntold.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based
financial services company with $1.8 trillion in assets. Founded in 1852
and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking,
insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance
through 8,700 locations, approximately 13,000 ATMs, the internet
(wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 36 countries to
support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With
approximately 265,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three
households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30
on Fortune’s 2015 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells
Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help
them succeed financially. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells
Fargo Blogs
and Wells
Fargo Stories
.

About #MyUntold

#MyUntoldsm is a social media
movement dedicated to sharing personal stories that define what it means
to be African American today. The program leverages the reach, power and
influence of social media to provide an intimate look into the African
American experience. #MyUntold creates a
platform for building cultural awareness and promoting healthy dialogue.
Wells Fargo invites people to contribute their inspiring untold stories
in video, photo or writing. Users can upload stories to the official
website (www.wellsfargo.com/myuntold)
and share content on their social media sites using #MyUntold.

Contacts

Wells Fargo & Company
Media
Melody Thuston,
312-729-4221
MThuston@golin.com
or
Valerie
Williams, 704-743-6544
valerie.williams@wellsfargo.com
@ValWilliamsWF

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