It’s been a little over 15 years since la reina Celia Cruz left this earth, but her music remains as powerful as ever. The ineffable queen of salsa still manages to inspire generation after generation of artists, and her legacy as an Afro-Latina pioneer in the mainstream Latin music industry cannot be overstated.
That’s why an upcoming show centered on the Cuban musical icon couldn’t come at a better time. Today, Billboard shared an exclusive announcement on the largest exhibition about Cruz’s career to date, featuring previously unseen personal items and memorabilia from her estate.
According to the publication, Forever CELIA will debut at Miami’s brand new American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, which focuses on the cultural experience of Cuban exile in the United States. Cruz’s former manager Omer Pardillo-Cid, who became the executor of the salsa star’s estate after her death in 2003, is co-coordinating the exhibition with the institution. The show will encompass 60 years of her life and career, from her debut in La Sonora Matancera to her rise to international fame after her exile in 1960.
Billboard reports that the exhibition will feature special items from her personal collection, including childhood photos, a selection of her signature costumes and wigs, awards, records, her first passport, and even the plane ticket she bought for Fania All Stars’ famed 1974 concert in Zaire. Pardillo-Cid told Billboard that it “is the first time the public will be able to see all of Celia’s things in one place.”
The exhibition opens on October 18 in Miami, Florida. To learn more, read the full story at Billboard.