TAMPA, Fla. — A Tampa artist became the first Black woman to be a theme artist for the US Open, with her artwork displayed in front of thousands of people who attended the matches.
Melissa Koby, a former patent researcher, has had a lifelong passion for art and turned to paper for her new profession. Her pieces are made of different colors of layered paper to create images.
Thanks to her Instagram account, her art caught the eyes of many within the United States Tennis Association, and she was hired to tell the story of Althea Gibson, the first Black woman to win the US Open, through art…