Art / News
Bristol artist designs 50p coin to mark Windrush anniversary
Brick sculptures by Valda Jackson will already be familiar to you if you have walked by St Paul’s Learning Centre on Grosvenor Road or the rear of the Animal Rescure Centre in St Philip’s Marsh.
Now the Bristol artist’s work will be seen by people across the world after her design was chosen by the Royal Mint to feature on a coin to mark the 75th anniversary of the Empire Windrush’s arrival into Tilbury docks.
Based in Spike Island, Jackson was born in St Thomas in Jamaica. She moved to the UK at the age of five and has lived in Bristol since 1986, holding her first exhibition at the Malcolm X Centre.
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Initial sketches for Valda Jackson’s coin design, which depicts two people of the Windrush generation, smartly dressed, standing against a backdrop of the Union Jack flag – photo: Royal Mint
“It’s more than a celebration of one moment, it is an acknowledgment of the real, lived experience of generations of ordinary working people, and though we may have struggled, and we still struggle in so many ways, we and our descendants are, in fact, at home,” Jackson said of her commemorative coin design.
“And this is what the image – these figures and the added Union Jack – represents.
“I am very happy to have my design selected for this coin, which honours our parents and their legacy; and which celebrates our presence, achievements and contributions that continue to enrich our society.”
The range includes a colour-printed silver Proof, a silver Proof Piedfort and a Brilliant Uncirculated edition – photo: Royal Mint
Director of commemorative coin at the Royal Mint, Rebecca Morgan, added: “The Royal Mint is committed to representing and celebrating diversity on UK coinage, and as we approach the 75th anniversary of HMT Empire Windrush arrival in the United Kingdom, we are honoured to be marking this important anniversary in British history on an official UK 50p coin.
“Windrush has become symbolic of its passengers and today encompasses the subsequent generations who have played a pivotal role in shaping modern British culture and society since the Second World War.”
Main photo: Royal Mint
Read next:
- Stories of the Windrush generation
- Commemorative 50p coin celebrates 30th anniversary of Wallace and Gromit
- Spike Island ready for Open Studios 2023
- Massive Attack featured in Windrush Top 20
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