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Art Tooth Executive Director Shasta Haubrich talks to Megan Carroll Henderson during an art opening for Tatyana Alanis on June 9, 2024, at The Usual. (Alberto Silva Fernandez | Fort Worth Report)
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About Last Weekend looks back at a Weekend Worthy event and informs you of what you may have missed. About Last Weekend is part of Weekend Worthy, your Fort Worth Report guide to fun events in Tarrant County.

A bar on Magnolia Avenue might not be your first guess for where an art show would take place, but Art Tooth, a Fort Worth nonprofit started in 2016, wants to make art accessible to people in common spaces. 

Art Tooth Executive Director Shasta Haubrich wants to make sure that showcasing artists isn’t limited to museums or galleries. Rather, Art Tooth works to represent artists who would otherwise not have the opportunity to show their work in public.

“We definitely focus on trying to ensure it’s not just white artists, that it’s a diverse artist representation from every level of education too,” said Haubrich. “There are a lot of self-taught artists that aren’t represented in Fort Worth that deserve representation.” 

Tatyana Alanis’ art will be on display at The Usual for two months and can be bought from her online store French 75 Studios. (Alberto Silva Fernandez | Fort Worth Report)

Art Tooth recently held the opening showcase of artist Tatyana Alanis at The Usual. Alanis is an artist who has quickly been growing in the last three years since she made the decision to turn to art full time in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

For Alanis, having her art displayed at a bar that she frequents feels unbelievable. Alanis did not originally believe she could be a full-time artist due to her parents’ fear of her not making enough money.

Andrew Koonce purchased a piece of Tatayna Alanis work titled Welcome Home Giclée at The Usual on June 9, 2024. (Alberto Silva Fernandez | Fort Worth Report)

“I grew up as an only child, so making art was the thing to pass the time. In my household going to college and doing art, that was out of the question. My mom was like, ‘Why do you want to be homeless on the street?’” Alanis said. 

As she got older, Alanis craved becoming an artist despite having a job in finance.

“I took a massive leap of faith obviously, but it worked out doing small commissions just to get by. I feel like to see the growth now, it’s honestly unbelievable. I have a hard time taking that in,” she said. “I feel like I’m still working my hardest to get to where I want to be, so I don’t really feel like I made it or anything like that, but I think I’m just working hard and trying to live in the moment.” 

Tatyana Alanis’ art will be displayed at The Usual, 1408 W. Magnolia Ave., for the next two months and is available for purchase on her website French 75 Studios, where she features Fort Worth landmarks such as Cherry Coffee. 

Alberto Silva Fernandez is a multimedia fellow at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at albert.silva@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.