The 2024 Celia Cruz Quarter Was Made in Philadelphia
PAFA alum Phebe Hemphill (Cert. '87) was recently featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer for her role in designing and sculpting the reverse side of the new U.S. quarter honoring Celia Cruz, the first Afro-Latina to be featured on a U.S. coin.
This year she focused on a new coin to honor another American legend: Celia Cruz, the late Afro Cuban superstar known as the Queen of Salsa.
Born in Havana in 1925, Cruz became a singular voice in Afro Cuban music with beloved hits like 'La Negra Tiene Tumbao,' 'La Vida Es Un Carnaval,' 'Bemba Colorá,' and 'Quimbara.'"
"Raised in West Chester and based in Oaklyn, Hemphill comes from a long line of sculptors, who inspired her to study the craft at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Her great-great-aunt studied with famous Irish American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who made several monuments to historic figures as well as coins.
After PAFA, Hemphill made porcelain figurines for Delaware County’s Franklin Mint before taking up toy sculpting at McFarlane Toys in Bloomingdale, N.J. At the Mint, she’s one of a handful of medallic artists responsible for dozens of coin designs each year."
Read full article: "The 2024 Celia Cruz quarter was made in Philadelphia" online at inquirer.com by Rosa Cartagena (October 16, 2024).
Featured Image from the article: Medallic artist Phebe Hemphill at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, where she designed the commemorative quarter honoring Celia Cruz, also known as the Queen of Salsa. United States Mint Department of Treasury.
