Today we’d like to introduce you to Shasta Haubrich.
Shasta, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m not sure I even know how I got here precisely. Geographically, I was born in Washington. Shortly after, I lived in Japan and by the time I was four, Texas was home. I spent my formative years growing up in North Texas, exploring music, art, and falling in love with movies and classic television. After a brief stint in Dallas, I ventured back to the West coast for an adventure in Portland finding my own individuality and launching my path of creative exploration. That journey led me (funny enough) right back to where I started. I made my way to Fort Worth and decided this is where I wanted to dig in and do something that made me happy. In 2010, I started working at The Modern Art Museum. This small decision to be surrounded by creativity and modern art led to my own first show as an artist – Exhibitionists. This incredible opportunity quickly led to a collaboration with fellow artists Aimee Cardoso, Brandon Pederson, Jay Wilkinson, Jeremy Joel, and Dee Lara. That collaboration became Art Tooth.
My friendship and collaboration with Jay Wilkinson led to another major connection around the same time – my friendship with Holland Sanders. From the beginning of our relationship, Holland took me under her wing, so to speak, and helped me dive into the marketing and PR world. Something I never thought I would like or excel in, but has become a skill that I was able to translate into the growth of Art Tooth significantly. I still work with Holland to this day and was recently named Executive Director of Art Tooth.
Has it been a smooth road?
Not even a little. I have learned some hard lessons about life and work balance and dealt with some loss along the way. But with all of that struggle, I have grown so much. For years, as my goals and ambitions have come into focus, I’ve been chipping away to uncover what I do best while continuing to navigate what paths I need to build to truly support new artists.
We’d love to hear more about Art Tooth.
Art Tooth was created to support Fort Worth artists through collaborations with businesses and galleries. Since our beginning in 2016, we have organized more than 100 events. I think we are most famous for the pArty Bus – a luxury coach bus that takes people on a tour of FWADA’s Gallery Night participating galleries twice a year. I’m most proud of the moments when I have played a role in featuring artists for the first time or when I help make art more accessible to others. That’s why we started the pArty Bus. Going to different galleries can seem daunting, but if you have 50 other people with you, you don’t feel alone. It is also why we hold open calls for new artists to see and discover work from people who have never even been in a gallery show. I think many artists need that first push of acceptance to feel inspired to continue creating.
At this time, we are getting ready for an open call for the Art South box in the SoMa district and finding ways to help artists with professional needs such as organizing their CV’s and bios.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
When I visited Fort Worth for the first time after living in Portland for a few years, there was this intense feeling that something big was about to happen. I’ve had the benefit of seeing a whole new era of businesses, restaurants, and artists creating, building, and bringing their dreams to life here. The ability to connect with people to make things happen and be fully supported in those efforts is extraordinary.
I will say we still have a lot of work to do to make space for BIPOC and LGBTQ artists and I am making it my personal mission to continue to find better ways to truly support artists to actually make a living creating art.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arttooth.com
- Phone: 8175287638
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arttooth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arttooth
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtToothFW
Image Credit:
Images courtesy of Aimee Cardoso and Art Tooth
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