Support From the Ohr: Artful Resources From Our Community

SUPPORT FROM THE OHR

Artful Resources From Our Community

Museums everywhere are helping people maintain social distancing by digitizing collections, sharing lesson plans for art projects, and creating online-accessible events for their members. Our doors may be closed but you can still enjoy the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art through our online programming – including virtual collections and exhibits, art activities, lectures, and other educational materials in line with our mission. Check back regularly to see what’s new. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up with updates.

All of this content will be made available here and through our homepage at georgeohr.org. We will continue to keep you informed of alternative ways to engage with OOMA.  We hope these digital experiences can bring you peace, enjoyment, and inspiration at this challenging time.

Resources from OOMA

  • OOMA Digital Collections
  • OOMA Online Store
  • OOMA Digital Events (Coming Soon) – Check back with us soon for events based on current exhibits, virtual tours, talks, and more!
  • OOMA Digital Classes (Coming Soon) – Sign up for classes online and participate via live stream or a number of other remote options.

Local Education Resources

  • Dusti Bongé Art Foundation – promotes the artistic legacy of Dusti Bongé, Mississippi’s first Abstract Expressionist painter through exhibitions, conservation, scholarship, and education.
  • Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum – preserves and interprets the maritime history and heritage of Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
  • Gallery 782 Co-Art – a co-operative art gallery that provides a connection to artists in Biloxi and along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
  • Coastal Mississippi Mardi Gras Museum – connect with the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s Mardi Gras roots.
  • Walter Anderson Museum of Art – a museum dedicated to the preservation and celebration of Ocean Springs-native artist-philosopher Walter Anderson (1903-1965).
  • Shearwater Pottery – was founded in 1928 by Peter Anderson (brother to Walter Anderson) with the support of his parents, George Walter Anderson and Annette McConnell Anderson.
  • Lynn Meadows Discovery Center – a center dedicated to inspiring children, families, and communities through the arts, interactive educational experiences, and exploration.
  • Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center – a center dedicated to instilling a love of learning, encouraging creative expression, and enriching lives by providing educational, artistic, historical, and cultural experiences.

Other Online Resources

Ways to Support

You can help support the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art’s efforts to aid in providing online educational resources in a number of ways:

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New Executive Director Selected for Ohr O’Keefe Museum of Art

The Board of Trustees for the Ohr O’Keefe Museum of Art has hired David Houston to take the reins at the museum starting this month. The board announced its decision after a four-month nationwide search.

Houston was named Chief Curator of the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans in 2001. At the Ogden, he organized a wide range of exhibitions and programs that focused on the American South. He broke down barriers between art, music, popular culture, and the general public, expanding the vision of what an art museum could be.

He next led the curatorial team at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, at the time of its opening in 2011.

In 2013, he became Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Bo Bartlett Center at Columbus State University in Georgia, overseeing the transformation of a cotton warehouse into a contemporary art center. The flexible space hosts exhibitions, public programs and houses art, sketchbooks and the archives of contemporary realist painter Bo Bartlett.

Houston led the Bartlett Center until 2019. Since then, he has worked independently as an art historian and curator based in Brooklyn.

He has taught at The University of New Orleans and The Brandenburg Technical University, Germany, and has authored more than 40 books, exhibition catalogs and articles on architecture, art, and photography.

Bruno Milanese, board president, stated “We have a legendary artist showcased in a museum designed by a world-famous architect. David Houston is the ideal candidate to ensure George Ohr, the museum and Frank Gehry are deservedly honored and celebrated.”

The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art is a non-profit art museum located in Biloxi, MS. The Ohr O’Keefe Museum of Art’s mission is to promote and preserve the unique legacy of Biloxi potter George E. Ohr and the diverse cultural heritage of the Mississippi Gulf Coast; and to exhibit works which exemplify the independent, innovative, and creative spirit of George Ohr, emancipated craftsman Pleasant Reed, and Ohr O’Keefe Museum architect Frank Gehry.

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Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art COVID-19(Coronavirus) Updates

[UPDATE 01/26/2021]:

We are open regular hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10a.m – 5p.m. No advanced tickets necessary.

Makin’ Groceries is open Tuesday – Friday, 11a.m. – 5p.m.; lunch service stops at 2p.m. and Saturday 10a.m. – 2p.m.

All of our galleries are open with exciting new exhibits:

  • Seen & Told: Alternative Narratives by Najee Dorsey (Beau Rivage Gallery of African American Art)
  • I Can See All Obstacles in My Way by Sally Heller (IP Casino Resort Spa Exhibitions Gallery)
  • City within a City (Pleasant Reed Interpretative Center)
  • Antigenic Rift by Randy Polumbo (John S. and James L. Knight Pod Pavillion)
  • Maybe This Time it Won’t Matter? by Craig Damrauer and Sally Heller
  • Completorium by Paul Bright

The City of Biloxi’s safety guidelines will be in place including social distancing, hand sanitizing stations, and requiring that all visitors wear masks:

  • Please do not enter OOMA if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, are experiencing a cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat right now, or have experienced symptoms like a fever, a new loss of taste or smell, vomiting or diarrhea or fever in the last 48 hours.
  • Large gatherings, especially indoors, are discouraged. Group activities are limited to 10 people indoors and 50 people outdoors when individuals from different households are involved.
  • Please maintain a safe distance of at least six feet between your group, employees and other visitors while on campus.
  • You will see hand-sanitizing stations throughout the museum. Please use those frequently.
  • Restrooms and high touch areas are cleaned throughout the day.

[UPDATE 07/23/2020]:

OOMA Reopens with limited hours:
Thursdays: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Fridays & Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

On the 18th, regular museum hours will run from noon to 5 p.m. with OOMA After Hours happening from 5 to 7 p.m.

We’re pleased to announce our reopening on Thursday, June 18th, 2020. Thursday’s opening will mark the return of our OOMA After Hours event and the introduction of noon to 7 p.m. operating hours on all Thursdays thereafter. Friday and Saturday hours will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the foreseeable future as a part of the museum’s first phase of reopening.

On the 17th from 2 to 5 p.m., the museum will host members-only hours. Members can call the museum to RSVP. Museum members will also receive a 2-month extension of their annual membership to make up for time lost during the closure.

The City of Biloxi’s safety guidelines will be in place including social distancing, hand sanitizing stations, and requiring that all visitors wear masks.

The Museum is also pleased to announce a new partnership with restaurateur Lauren Turner’s Biloxi-based restaurant “Makin Groceries”. Ms. Turner will host a small plate sampling in the museum’s Mississippi Sound Welcome Center on June 18th as a preview of what’s to come.

OOMA will be featuring two new exhibitions: Spaces and People by Dean Mitchell and Symbiotic by Cathy Hegman. We look forward to welcoming our members and guests back to campus to experience the power of art firsthand.

General Guidelines:

  • Please do not enter OOMA if you have been in close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, are experiencing a cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat right now, or have experienced symptoms like a fever, a new loss of taste or smell, vomiting or diarrhea or fever in the last 48 hours.
  • Guests are encouraged to wear masks.
  • Only debit or credit is accepted at this time.
  • Please maintain a safe distance of at least six feet between your group and employees and other visitors near you while at OOMA.
  • You will see hand-sanitizing stations throughout the museum and campus.
    Please use those frequently.
  • Be sure to wash hands more frequently, avoid touching your face, practice good respiratory etiquette like sneezing into your elbow rather than into the air.
  • We’re limiting the number of guests allowed in at one time for our galleries.
    Restrooms and high touch areas are cleaned throughout the day.

[UPDATE 03/17/2020]:

Due to the growing concern over the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its potential to spread in large groups, the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art is closed to the public effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020. All Programs, events, and classes will be rescheduled at a later date.

In an effort to support our communities in this time of non-gathering, the museum will continue to create online programming including art activities, lectures, and other educational materials in line with our mission. All of this content will be made available through our website and social media channels as it is developed.

[UPDATE 03/16/2020]

Good Morning,

In these uncertain times, we wished to reach out to you. The OOMA Board of Trustees and staff are closely monitoring the evolving developments in connection with the current health crisis. The well-being and safety of our patrons, staff, volunteers, families, and community remain a high priority to us.

All our galleries are currently open. Any changes to our schedule or programming will be posted on this page. and through social media channels. Please note that all hands-on materials have been removed from the galleries to create a touch-free environment. Any questions regarding hours of operation and programming should call 228.374.5547.

Visitors, as well as staff and volunteers, are asked to take the proper precautions as recommended by the CDC, which can be found here. Anyone who is symptomatic or has recently cared for someone affected should stay home.

During these challenging times, we at OOMA wish to offer the same educational and inspirational art experience to all of you. We remain hopeful that this current challenge will soon be in our collective rearview. Until then, be safe.

Updates to our policy regarding COVID-19 will be posted to this page.

Sincerely,
All of us at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art

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