In the depths of the Meadows Mall, there lies a small gallery, City of the World. Even deeper, we can see Melanie Romero working at the front, checking people in and out.
“I first heard about City of the World art gallery in 2021 and I actually went working there online, because I was looking for some kind of networking opportunity.”
City of The World is a non-profit providing an opportunity for local artists to get not only networking opportunities, but a chance to physically sell their art inside of the gallery and make a profit, regardless of their skill level.
Not only that, but the gallery gives people chances to network outside of the store and its customers as well, providing those working there with many chances to network and travel.
“The gallery has offered me so many opportunities where I can network with other artists. I’ve been lucky enough to do the retreat for City of the World artists, and they were able to accommodate me with a hotel, and I was able to make candles with a group of women. It was a very fun experience.”
The gallery has done a lot more for Melanie than just giving her networking opportunities: it has also given her a chance to change her view on art as a whole. She was never one to purchase art before, but after being in the gallery for so long and seeing the work other artists had put into their work, she started to change that outlook.
“Since there’s over 50 local artists, I feel like you’re bound to find something you can kind of correlate with, or something that is of interest. I’ve bought about 2 pieces of artwork since I’ve been here, and they’re currently up and posted in my home.”
Melanie’s life has not only been heavily impacted positively by the gallery, but other artists, too, and she could not have done it without other peoples’ support, which is a message she believes strongly as she has a presence in social media and in her community.
“Support, support, support. It doesn’t cost a lot of money to support stuff… If you can simply just share, hit the follow button, it doesn’t cost any money to support an artist.”
