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The Philadelphia Inquirer | 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.

"Phebe Hemphill has been molding history for nearly 20 years. As a medallic artist at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, Hemphill has crafted the portraits and landscapes adorning countless coins, from Congressional Gold Medals to commemorative coins. Her designs mark legacies across generations, from activists Harriet Tubman and Alice Paul to Presidents Barack Obama and Calvin Coolidge, all memorialized in metal.

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."

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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.

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"The 2024 Celia Cruz quarter was made in Philadelphia" onli…
Last Updated
November 4, 2024 - 2:34 PM

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About PAFA

Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts is the United States’ first school and museum of fine arts. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, PAFA offers a world-class collection of American art, innovative exhibitions of historic and contemporary American art, and educational opportunities in the fine arts. The PAFA Museum aims to tell America's diverse story through art, expanding who has been included in the canon of art history through its collections, exhibitions, and public programs, while classes educate artists and appreciators with a deep understanding of traditions and the ability to challenge conventions. PAFA’s esteemed alumni include Mary Cassatt, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, William Glackens, Barkley L. Hendricks, Violet Oakley, Louis Kahn, David Lynch, and Henry Ossawa Tanner.