Wolf Productions, A Gallery of the Arts Claremore, OK by Don Emrick
ON THE Eclectic. That’s how John David Wolf describes Wolf Productions: A Gallery of the Arts in Claremore. David, as he likes to be called, along with his wife Anita, own and operate this unusual mixture of art and artists that opened on Valentine’s day in 2007. The gallery is located at 510 Will Rogers Blvd, just a half block east of Rt. 66 and features over 50 Northeastern Oklahoma artists. The artistic media are nearly as diverse as the artists themselves: paintings (oil, acrylic, watercolor), ceramics, African masks, turned wood ranging from bowls to decorative ornaments, gourds, mosaics, stained glass, photography (traditional and digital), printmaking, mixed media, jewelry, stained and blown glasswork, fiber art, and beadwork. A sampling of the artists include: Cathy Leigh Lamb, Karen Greenawalt, Cindy Swanson, Mary Jane Porter, Valerie Gunter, Chris Cameris, Linda Scudder, Leigh Standingbear, Yusuf Etudaiye and more. Wolf sees the gallery bringing fine art to a town that straddles the line between its rural past and emerging present. “That’s one thing I like to do is to encourage people who might not like, or are intimidated by, a gallery to come in and find out that art is to be enjoyed and you don’t need a master’s degree or be a collector to enjoy art,” said Wolf. Although he dabbles in digital photography, Wolf doesn’t consider himself an artist. It was his lifelong interest in art that led him to start a gallery - a venture founded on a combination of location, hard work and a bit of luck. Wolf, a former horticulturalist for the City of Tulsa, neared retirement. He had been commuting to Tulsa from his home near Lake Oologah.
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As he described it: “It was kind of a whim. One day we were in downtown [Claremore] and we noticed this building was for sale. We decided to give it a try.” Later he adds: “Because of Rogers State University, Rt. 66, Will Rogers and the tourist draw I saw potential.” They made a bid on the building, and to their surprise got it. Next came three years of renovations - removing a drop ceiling installed sometime in the 1950’s, restoring the original decorative tin ceiling tiles and fixing the walls to give it the right atmosphere. “We like to travel a lot,” Wolf explained. “Taos, the Southwest….and this space was perfect, it had that feel…. It would be eclectic in its collection and would appeal to tourists and locals.” Initially the 4,000 square foot building had been divided into two sections, separated by arches. Over the years, and many incarnations - including a grocery store, butcher shop, tailor shop, hardware store, and years of vacancy – the arches were sealed off and the building is now two separate 2,000 square foot structures. One side houses the gallery and the other side is rented out to supplement the gallery’s income. Currently, that side is used as an event center for weddings and special occasions. The entrance is through a recessed glass doorway displaying stained glass by Sam Ward. Easels in the front windows change art and media depending on the featured artist. Once inside, the variety and styles of art are overwhelming at first. Straight ahead are hand crafted wooden tables by Ken and Doree Broostein, backed by partitions with medium size paintings and prints. Large paintings by Virgil Lampton and Gary Moeller balance the brick and plaster walls on either side of the gallery, and are surrounded by