Donna Weaver (born 1942) is a retired sculptor who is known for her work designing and sculpting United States coins and medals. From 2000 until her retirement in 2006 she worked as a sculptor-engraver for the United States Mint designing several U.S. state quarters and commemorative coins. Since her retirement, Weaver has continued contributing to the Mint through the Artistic Infusion Program.
Weaver was raised in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky and attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati where she studied painting and sculpting. [1] She graduated with a Fine Arts degree in 1966. [1]
Beginning in the 1970s, Weaver worked at Kenner where she designed action figures and toys. [2] She later worked for Gibson Greeting Cards, creating and designing greeting cards. [3]
Weaver began working at the Philadelphia Mint in July 2000 as a sculptor-engraver. [4] [5] In 2002, four of the five state quarters released were designed and sculpted by Weaver, those of Tennessee, Mississippi, Indiana, and Ohio. [6] She would also design and sculpt the Maine, Illinois, and Oregon state quarters. [6] Weaver also sculpted the redesigned forward-facing obverse of the Jefferson nickel, which was designed by Jamie Franki. [7] Weaver also worked on designs for commemorative coins, including the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial silver dollar, the reverse of the Chief Justice John Marshall silver dollar, and the obverse of the Thomas Alva Edison silver dollar. [8] Weaver would go on to design over 30 coins and medals at the US Mint until her retirement in 2006. [4] [5]
In 2007, Weaver was accepted into the Artistic Infusion Program (AIP) and continued to design models for the Mint as a contractor. [9] [10] Through the AIP, she modeled the Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming state quarters. [6] Her design for the 10th Anniversary September 11th National Medal received praise. [11] She would also design several of the reverses for the America the Beautiful quarters program, such as those representing Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Arches National Park, and Cumberland Island National Seashore. [6]
Weaver lives in Vevay, Indiana. She volunteers at a living history museum at the Venoge Farmstead, where she serves as director. [12]
She was married to Thomas Weaver, who died in December 2002. [13]