WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated artist Snoop Dog performed in Wichita on Wed., July 7 and local artists were asked to create a gift for the rapper to remember his time in the city. Dominique Joiner got a huge surprise on Instagram on Thursday.
Joiner is one of two artists who got a call two days before Snoop Dogg was scheduled to perform. With that kind of pressure, Anthony Joiner, owner of Mulberry Art Gallery asked his wife, who is also a co-owner of the gallery, and local artist Michella Tripoli step to up to the plate.
“Knowing what time frame I had, I knew there weren’t a lot of artists that I would be able to call for that,” Anthony said. “I was excited to be able to include both her and Michella–two Wichita artists–two Wichita natives that have a tremendous amount of talent.”
Three weeks later, the results are getting a lot of love on social media.
“Well, one of the owners of the WAVE actually tagged me in it,” Dominique Joiner said. “I checked my phone and he was like, ‘Snoop Doog was showing love’ so I’m like ‘no way.’”
Now, her work lives on Snoop’s Instagram profile and has more than one-hundred fifty thousand likes and counting.
“I didn’t really expect anything,” Dominique said. “The only thing I really hoped was that he liked it and that kind of showed that he liked it.”
The hip-hop superstar now has two pieces of Wichita with him forever.
“Whenever we have a sold-out show,” Jessie Hartke, operating partner of WAVE said, “we always try to say ‘thank you’ to those artists.”
Hartke is grateful to help give Tripoli and Dominique the spotlight.
“We have a lot of really amazing artists in our community that have not been fully appreciated for their value,” Hartke said.
Joiner said she appreciates all the support she’s received and hopes opportunities like this will push other artists to pursue their dreams.
“I was shocked,” Dominique said. “Pretty much still in shock. I was shaking a little bit. I couldn’t believe it.”
