Arthur H Wolf
Art ‘walked on’ from his home in Las Vegas, NV on February 14, 2021 after a brief illness. His family and many friends mourn his premature passing and the loss of a cherished husband, friend, colleague, and mentor. Art was born June 18, 1953 in New Rockford, ND and grew up with a perpetual fascination with the world and all the people who inhabit it. He was an anthropologist by training and a humanist in the classical sense. His social media posts often led to lengthy threads airing opinions and provoking lively discourse. Art called himself a “Museum Lifer" and he was a natural mentor. People sought him out for his thoughtful provocation, critical thinking, and gentle coaching. He was proud of his time spent as a thesis director in the Harvard University ALM Museum Studies program and of his students.
Art earned a BA in Anthropology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an MA in Anthropology and Museum Studies at the University of Arizona. After graduate school he joined the staff of the School of American Research (Santa Fe, NM) as the first Curator of the Indian Arts Research Center. Art moved on to become the Director of the Millicent Rogers Museum (Taos, NM) then to director positions at the Nevada State Museum and Historical Society (Las Vegas, NV), Museum of the Rockies (Bozeman, MT), The High Desert Museum (Bend, OR), Museum of Northern Arizona (Flagstaff, AZ), and was the founding director of the National Atomic Testing Museum (Las Vegas, NV).
Art created WOLF Consulting in 2004 based on his years of experience and service as a respected and trusted museum leader providing consulting services throughout the Western states and in Qatar and Kuwait. Art was dedicated to assisting museums and other cultural organizations in defining and achieving their missions and received high marks from his clients. Art worked closely with indigenous communities wherever he lived and had recently joined the National Planning Council for the Sustaining and Advancing Indigenous Cultures project of the Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums.
In 1990 Art was recognized as a Distinguished Young Alumnus of the University of NebraskaLincoln and he served as a member of their Anthropology Alumni and Friends Advisory Board. He received the Mountain-Plains Museum Association’s highest honor, the Hugo G Rodeck Award for Excellence in Museums in 2012. He was named a Star Advocate by the American Alliance of Museums in 2019. During his career he served on the AAM Accreditation Commission, American Alliance of Museums Board of Directors, Association of Science Museum Directors, and the Board of ICOM-US.
Art was preceded in death by his parents Vivian (Grinde) and Louis I Wolf. He is survived by his wife, Holly M Chaffee. No services are scheduled but celebrations of his life will be held later this year.