Maria Mercedes, EA/Chief of Staff at Visa Inc & Betsy Romero, High school art teacher

So how did you two become friends?

In high school.

So you’ve been friends for all those years?

Yes.

Do you guys ever fight?

No, never.

What’s your favorite thing about the Armory show so far besides meeting me?

The mix of artists. There’s something for everybody here. The diversity.

And what artists do you teach your students about?

I try to find artists that are not really talked about because we do have a community of black and brown people.

Do you think there’s a need for more representation of minority artists?

Of course.

Have you heard about Black Street Gallery? It’s a gallery with all minority artists.

No. Sounds cool.

And working with Visa, what’s the future of Fintech? And do you think AI is good or bad?

I think it’s bad because it’s going to get rid of a lot of jobs.

What’s your favorite thing about being friends?

That we support each other and we know each other better than anyone else. We’ve been friends for twenty years. We’re always there for each other.

@mrsbromero