The Break extends offerings with art gallery

Feb. 12—A former ice cream parlor has become a Depot District gallery for local artists.

The gallery, 314 S. Third St., opened Friday afternoon as an extension of The Break, a popular coffee shop and bar. The space used to house the Rollie Pollie, an ice cream parlor.

Rebekah Pillow, manager of The Break, said she and the owners wanted a place to feature local artists.

“We had this space and we wanted something that would kind of support the community and tie into the community,” Pillow said.

She said she seeks to feature different artists each month. Artists will have their own wall in The Break to display their pieces.

“Each of the walls will have a certain price the artists will pay at the end of each month, sort of modeled after the galleries in Oklahoma City,” she said, using that city’s Paseo Arts District as an example.

“We also plan to do features, like Native American art, high schools,” she said. “I was speaking with the art teacher at Warner. We have sort of a regional art show. We want to do that here.”

The gallery opened with works from three artists — Cale Glendening, Hilary McQueen and Kimberly Smith.

Smith, an abstract artist, said the gallery is “really cool.”

“It just gives you a place to put your art,” she said. “I normally do photographic art. That’s what I’ve done for 20 years. I just started painting and it’s just a completely different feel. I’m still kind of crazy with the abstract, but it’s still detailed.”

McQueen is showing colorful, whimsical acrylic paintings, while Glendening has mixed media art with a Native theme.

The gallery also is interested in photography, sculpture or other media.

“We’d love to get other media,” she said. “I think it would be interesting to have stained glass, beadwork, tapestry, whatever. Art is art.”

The gallery features showroom windows along one wall and a garage door with windows on another wall. A third wall has an entrance into The Break.

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“We also want to do things to give back, as well,” Pillow said. “Schools, if they want to have an art gallery here, we’re open to that.”

The gallery also is open for rental space, she said.

She said artists seeking to show their work or renting the gallery may email her through [email protected].