Today we’d like to introduce you to Aimee Cardoso.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
While interning at a gallery in Dallas one summer in college, I fell in love with the constant hanging and rehanging of work and meeting new artists and getting to know them. Upon leaving college I really wanted to get back into this scene but found that no galleries really offered any paying jobs- even part-time. I went to the museum because that was another haven for me. How can you not love being in a place of such reverence and influence? From working there it just kind of happened. When you are with other brilliant, driven people, things just come together. I co-founded a group who put together a huge museum staff art show called Exhibitionists FW. We had about 150 pieces of art hung and over 700 people attended the event. This really showed me the number of artists in this city alone that were gifted but didn’t have representation by a gallery or didn’t have the opportunity to show their work regularly, and who didn’t even know each other. That was my personal inspiration for starting Art Tooth.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Initially yes. Getting a job at an art museum really helped me form relationships with other contemporaries around my age that were really talented. We would have discussions about what Fort Worth’s art scene needed. It was fantastic getting to brainstorm with people who have now gone on to start collectives themselves. Some of the struggles we found are with funding. While grants are available for non-profits some of them require a permanent location. Art Tooth purposefully operates as a pop-up, so it was difficult for us to apply to structure. Therefore, we survive purely by revenue from the works and events we put on while still trying to make sure that artists themselves can make a profit. Since we have a huge focus on educational components- such as artist workshops- we don’t want to charge for these events. Another struggle has been how to find spaces that fit a particular exhibition we want to do. We are lucky to have many friends at many wonderful venues- Artspace111, Brik Venue, Fort Worth Community Art Center, and Shipping & Receiving just to name a few, however, there are so many spaces we would love to use but can’t because of the cost associated with renting the space. As a non-profit, I wish there were more spaces open and willing to let us come in for a bit and create something.
Please tell us about Art Tooth.
Art Tooth is an artist-run hybrid gallery/collective dedicated to exhibiting regional contemporary art by emerging and mid-career artists while building new relationships between artists and art patrons. By partnering with established local art dealers, organizations and businesses, Art Tooth will continue its founders’ “pop up” concept, making invigorating art accessible and solidifying Fort Worth’s reputation as an art destination. I love that we aren’t a collective in the sense that we only show our own work. Art Tooth sets out to bring Fort Worth up as a whole art scene. We want to be a resource for local artists by giving them a place to exhibit and critique in addition to teaching them about CVs, social media, pricing, etc. We take pride in being available to anyone and everyone, letting them know they can reach out to us for questions and guidance.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Fort Worth is amazing in the sense we have 4 amazing museums in close proximity making it a cultural haven but we still have a laid-back town-like atmosphere that we have in comparison to other Texas cities. Over the past year I have seen advancement coming from the museums, the galleries, and the general public. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth and the Kimbell are fantastic in that they have each worked directly with the arts communities’ here- the Kimbell in their program ‘Providing a Ladder for Emerging Artists’ and the Modern in our partnership with them, ‘Meet Me at the Modern’. Fort Works Art is a wonderful gallery that is doing great things for the community and has recently signed some of the artists we, and others, have used for years in pop-ups. As well as places like The Foundry District which commissioned a mural made by local artists. What I like least is it’s hard to find a way to connect commerce with creativity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arttooth.com
- Phone: 682-233-BITE
- Email: info@arttooth.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arttooth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arttooth/
Image Credit:
First photo with the crowd is by Viktor Villanueva
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
