Ohr–O'Keefe Museum of Art Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Ohr–O'Keefe Museum of Art
_{Museum complex (2022)}

Established	1989 (present location 2010)
Location	386 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi, Mississippi

The Ohr–O'Keefe Museum of Art is a special art museum in Biloxi, Mississippi. It's a "non-profit" place, which means it uses all the money it earns to run the museum and help people learn about art. This museum is all about the amazing pottery made by George E. Ohr. He called himself the "Mad Potter of Biloxi" because his pottery was so unique and wild!

The museum is named after George E. Ohr, who was a ceramic artist from 1857 to 1918. It's also named after Annette O'Keefe. She was the wife of a former Biloxi mayor, and she helped a lot by donating money and raising funds to build the museum.

Building the Museum
- A Special Design
- Opening and Growth
What You Can Do There
Gallery
See also

Building the Museum

The museum has five buildings that were designed by a famous architect named Frank Gehry. He wanted the buildings to look like they were "dancing" around the old live oak trees on the 4-acre (1.6-hectare) land.

A Special Design

Work on the museum buildings started in 2004. But in August 2005, something big happened. Hurricane Katrina hit, and a huge casino boat was washed right onto the museum site! This caused a lot of damage to the buildings that were still being built.

Aerial view of a casino boat washed onto the museum site in September 2005.

A company from Kansas City, Missouri called Zahner helped build the museum's cool, curvy parts. They made the "stainless-steel pods" that look like they are dancing among the trees.

Opening and Growth

On November 8, 2010, three of the museum buildings opened. They showed off some amazing art, including George Ohr's pottery. The buildings that opened were the Mississippi Sound Welcome Center, the IP Casino Resort & Spa Exhibitions Gallery, and the Gallery of African American Art. The Pleasant Reed Interpretive Center also opened.

Later, in September 2012, the City of Biloxi Center for Ceramics opened. This building is a special place for pottery. The John S. and James L. Knight Gallery, which holds George Ohr's pottery, was finished in 2014.

What You Can Do There

The museum offers fun pottery classes at the Center for Ceramics. This center has a modern studio and classrooms where you can learn to make your own pottery.

The Ohr–O'Keefe Museum of Art also has programs for the community and schools. They have the OOMA-Ed program for kids and adults. During the summer, they even have special youth programs called SOOMA at the Center for Ceramics.

In October 2011, the Biloxi City Council decided to help the museum financially. The museum buildings are owned by the city. The city hoped the museum would become a big attraction for people visiting Biloxi.