Meet the artists creating No. 1 sculptures celebrating Philadelphia's firsts for America 250
Mural artists in Philadelphia are using their talents to create beautiful works to commemorate historic places and inventions that were created in the city. As part of America's 250th anniversary, sculptures are popping up around Philadelphia as artists pour their hearts and talents into their creations.
"I'm painting a No. 1 for the first ice cream soda," Roselyn Dooley said. "My inspiration is just the nostalgia of the sweets you can get in the city."
Dooley is putting her heart, soul and every stroke of nostalgic memories into creating a giant 4-foot-tall No. 1 sculpture. There's history behind the vibrant colors and designs.
"It started because they ran out of cream for a cream soda," Dooley said, "so one of the vendors started to put ice cream in instead. It was a big hit. Philly gets to take the credit for that one."
The ice cream soda is just one of many Philly firsts being celebrated with sculptures that will mark the spot of history-making firsts in Philadelphia. It's part of the city's 52 Weeks of Firsts as part of the nation's semiquincentennial. It's a citywide, yearlong celebration that honors the city's legacy as a place where many inventions were created.
"We're celebrating American firsts that happened right here in Philadelphia, one per week, 52 weeks all of 2026," Vince Stango, president of the National Constitution Center and co-chair of the Philadelphia Historic District's 250th committee, said. "For most visitors, particularly residents, they're going to learn stories they may have heard about when they were kids or that maybe they already knew, but there's just a whole bunch of stories that they'll learn that they've never heard before."
One room is bustling with artists who have chosen historic Philly firsts and are transforming those stories into vivid works of art —artists like Alana Simone.
"I have the first Ronald McDonald House," Simone said. "We are actually honoring our founders, Dr. Audrey Evans and Jimmy Murray. We wanted to have them surrounded by children, families, to really capture the heart of the organization and its mission."
For Simone, the first Ronald McDonald House sculpture is deeply personal.
"That's one of the ones I chose specifically because a lot of my family members work in health care, I work with children now," Simone said, "and it feels like it's come full circle."
Aaminah Rasheed is taking her creation honoring the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to heart.
"Since children are the focus, I tried to make it as colorful and inviting as possible," Rasheed said. "I believe children's health is extremely important to society, and I believe that the people at the Children's Hospital are basically responsible for the well-being of our future."
She knows all too well the importance of this Philly first.
"I had a very severe case of asthma as a child," Rasheed said, "so I definitely was in and out of CHOP."
Each of these artists is pouring their hearts into every brush stroke, every color scheme, every detail of their No. 1 sculptures.
The works of art will be unveiled every week of the 2026 semiquincentennial year, across the city of Philadelphia, standing tall in more than a dozen neighborhoods.
Each of these mural artists is creating as many as two to three different sculptures that represent Philly's firsts. Many have taken months to create. Each week, a new work of art will be unveiled as we work up to celebrating America's 250th anniversary.
