BALTIMORE — A new exhibit celebrating NBA Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony opened at the Enoch Pratt Central Library, showcasing not just his basketball career but his journey from West Baltimore to global stardom.
The House of Melo exhibit tells the story of Anthony's rise from the Myrtle Avenue and Murphy Homes housing projects to becoming one of the top 10 scorers in basketball history. The display aims to inspire young people in Baltimore by showing what's possible when someone from their community reaches the highest levels of success.
"This exhibit is important because how many people from west Baltimore, Myrtle avenue, Murphy homes housing projects are able to make it to the NBA hall of fame? To be able to be the top in the top 10 scorers of basketball history," said D. Watkins, curator.
House of Melo exhibit opens at Enoch Pratt Library to inspire Baltimore youth
The exhibit was created by D. Watkins and Kahlilah Beavers, who know Anthony personally. They designed the space to do more than celebrate his achievements, they want it to support the next generation of Baltimore youth.
"We get you in with the celebration of this moment and then we show you that we want to take care of you and help you advance to the next level as well," Beavers said.
The exhibit includes monthly community empowerment symposiums that teach young people about different career paths. Beavers emphasized the importance of creating opportunities for children.
"What is this world without space for kids because they will always grow up to be the people who run the world we have to create space, if space wasn't created for us then we wouldn't be here," Beavers said.
The House of Melo features multiple spaces highlighting different aspects of Anthony's life beyond basketball. Watkins said his favorite area is the boardroom, which showcases Anthony's business ventures.
"It's the board room because everyone knows him as a basketball player but we get the opportunity to show that he has done really great things in business and it's something everyone can do. We can't all be six foot seven, we all can't dunk from the free-throw line but we can be smart with money, we can be entrepreneurs we can invest in ourselves and our communities and teach other people how to do the same," Watkins said.
The curators hope visitors will learn about themselves while discovering new aspects of Anthony's story. They want people to understand that success is achievable for everyone.
"Taking a tagline from Carmelo's book where tomorrows aren't promised and making it to where tomorrows are promised means that we are showing everyone the future is yours tomorrow is here for you just like it is for everybody else," Beavers said.
The House of Melo officially opens Saturday with a block party for the grand opening starting at 10 a.m.
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