OOMA Membership Drive Enters Final Stretch

OOMA’s Annual Membership Drive ends on September 1st. This is the last chance to take advantage of the 20% discount on membership levels available on our website. Here are 5 great reasons to become a museum member today!

Invitations to museum events

Members get the first chance to opt-in to our mailing lists for breaking news about our opening receptions and after-hours events ranging from free and fun community events on the museum grounds, to extravagant parties off-campus, to our annual Horn Island Expedition (a 4-day camping expedition dedicated to tapping into the artistic spirit by communing with nature and fellow artists).

Free admission to our Annual Member Party

Members are invited as VIPs to our annual member party with a plus one for a friend. This year, the Mad Potter Block Party was a huge hit that involved free BBQ plates, artsy activities, and our very own George Ohr riding into our Mississippi Sound Welcome Center on an Indian Motorcycle – just as he would have back in his prime!

10% Discount in the Museum Store

The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art store sells the work of local ceramicists and artists from across the Southeastern United States. There is always something new showing up on the store shelves and as a member, you’ll receive 10% off your orders online and in the store. Our online selection will be expanding to include art, books, and clothing that you can have shipped straight to your house if you don’t have the time to stop in while you’re visiting.

10% Discount on Classes & Workshops

The museum’s City of Biloxi Center for Ceramics features classes for all ages! As a member, you’ll take advantage of 10% off all classes and workshops available in our world-class pottery studio featuring 10+ pottery wheels, 2 electric kilns, and a full-size gas kiln capable of firings up to cone 10.

10% Facility Event Rentals

Members get first dibs and a 10% discount on facility event rental reservations. Make your next party, wedding, bridal shower, work convention or meeting into the talk of the town when you bring your guests to the Frank Gehry-designed campus of the Ohr-O’Keefe museum of art!

 

Those are just 5 of the many reasons to become a member at OOMA. Along with those reasons you’ll become a supporter and an integral part of a community of support for the legacy of George Ohr and our art community as a whole on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Get your membership today and become a part of The Mad Potter Society. Join in on the madness now!

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Zach Harris Opening Reception Draws a Crowd

Zach Harris’s Opening Reception was this Thursday, August 1st, and drew a crowd of around 100 people. The gathering was planned as a celebration of Harris’s sculptures as they interact with the museum’s Frank Gehry-designed-buildings and the Live Oaks on the campus. Harris was present to speak with museum members and visitors about the work. Harris’s artist statement speaks of his intentions with the body of work:

Inorganic Accoutrements

Zachary Harris was born and resides in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture from Mississippi State University in 2011 and a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the University of Georgia in 2018. In 2012, Harris was awarded a commission by Jackson County for a work to be permanently placed on the campus of the Jackson County General Services Complex in Pascagoula, MS.

Harris has a passion for framing his influence of nature and for the well-designed. He views his sculptures as archetypes in choreographed space. His works project themselves form the ground with a force-like entelechy. Etching themselves into the presence of the viewer. His background includes dabbling in subjects of land conservation, environmental system design specific to park design, watershed management systems, landscape architecture, and Design Thinking.

Using his affinity for tectonics, Harris invites participants and viewers to experience a familiar space in a new way. He believes his objects to enhance a view while more importantly enhancing the experience of a viewer.

The works are less about their title or what he was thinking and are more about projecting an opportunity for a viewer to foster an interior dialogue of which his motives become constructively and divergently separate from the artist and his vision for the viewer. It is here that Harris manipulates dense inert materials to balance with environment freeing them from finite definition.

As with all opening receptions at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, admission was free for every exhibit on view during the event. Wine and light hors d’oeuvres were served. A welcome new addition to the event was Makin’ Groceries, a new local catering service. They provided shrimp tacos with yum yum slaw that were an incredible hit, selling out just before the event concluded. Thank you to everyone that came, and be sure to mark the next opening reception on your calendar. More info on new exhibits is coming later this month!

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Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art Re-Opens July 16th

After closing early on July 12th and continuing the closure through Saturday due to severe weather surrounding Hurricane Barry, The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art returned to regular business hours on July 16th. Hurricane Barry brought no damage or flooding to the Frank Gehry designed campus in Biloxi, MS. The storm did cause the rescheduling of George Ohr’s 162nd Birthday Celebration and The Mad Potter Block Party to this upcoming Saturday, July 20th. Blackwater Brass was originally scheduled to play the Mad Potter Block Party but, due to scheduling conflicts, will be replaced by Sicily Swing.

The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art will celebrate the 162nd birthday of its namesake, George E. Ohr, on Saturday, July 20, 2019, from 10 am to 5 pm. Nicknamed the “Mad Potter of Biloxi,” Ohr’s legacy lives on 100 years after his passing in the wild and wacky STEAMpunk Pottery Project performance by Bay St. Louis artist Steve Barney. Featuring “The World’s Most Amazing Pottery Machine,” Barney will hoist himself in the air and throw pots upside down. Moreover, Steve will use his head to mold and shape clay vessels, designed to inspire students and integrate Art with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Enjoy FREE museum admission, FREE cake, FREE refreshments, and exciting interactive art demonstrations with Steve.  The “California Taco Shop” food truck will also be available.

The Mad Potter Block Party takes place later that day from 4 pm to 8 pm, co-hosted by O’Keefe Financial Services, Museum members and O’Keefe Financial Members are admitted FREE! We recommend that members bring a plus one who would be interested in museum membership. Non-members are welcome with $10 admission. Attendees will enjoy a BBQ featuring two 50 lb pigs with sides provided as well! Become a member now to begin enjoying the benefits of 20% off during our annual membership drive! The Block Party will host a few surprises, including a possible appearance by George Ohr himself, made possible in part by Hattiesburg Cycles.

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OOMA Membership discounted by 20% for July and August

SUMMER MEMBERSHIP DRIVE Going on NOW!

Become a member or renew your membership to the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art during July or August and receive a 20% discount on all membership levels.

6 Great Reasons to Become a  Member of The Mad Potter Society:

  • Invitations to all exhibition openings and events.
  • Free admission to our Annual Member Party. Become a member before or during our July 12th  “Mad Potter Block Party”  and you’ll get all-you-can-eat BBQ from 4 pm – 8 pm during our Membership Pig Roast.
  • A subscription to the museum e-newsletter (weekly on Tuesdays).
  • A subscription to the quarterly museum magazine (due to launch in 2020).
  • 10% discount on all museum store purchases, classes and workshops, and event rentals on the museum campus.
  • 50% off all guest admissions.

Your support as an OOMA Mad Potter Society member helps to ensure that this amazing museum will remain a vital source of inspiration for generations to come as well as a continuing source of pride for all Gulf Coast residents. Purchase a membership today and become a Benefact-Ohr of the arts!

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Mad Potter Block Party Offers BBQ, Music, Museum Membership

The Mad Potter Block Party member appreciation event co-hosted by O’Keefe Financial Services kicks off on Friday, July 12th, from 4 pm to 8 pm. The party starts at the end of George Ohr’s 162nd Birthday Celebration and is meant to bring members together in support of the museum. Members are asked to invite a friend that would be interested in becoming a member. Members and their guests will be treated to all-you-can-eat BBQ with two 50 lb roasted pigs, a (foam) brick toss game that offers a chance to win membership and other prizes, OOMA Trivia, the funktastic sounds of Blackwater Brass, and many other activities! BBQ plates will be $10 per plate for non-members.

Rumor has it that the event will also be attended by George Ohr himself, recently returned from a long hiatus on the other side of the River Styx. Patrons are asked not to inquire with George about what awaits in the afterlife as it seems he can’t remember very well himself. Please be patient with George while he re-acclimates himself with not just the living world, but the world of technology with which he now finds himself surrounded.

Museum memberships are available via the museum’s newly redesigned website georgeohr.org. Members and non-members can also RSVP at this link.

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Celebrate George Ohr’s 162nd Birthday with Free Admission and Activities

The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art will celebrate the 162nd birthday of its namesake George E. Ohr with free general admission on Friday, July 12, 2019 from 10 am to 5 pm. Nicknamed the “Mad Potter of Biloxi,” Ohr’s legacy lives on 100 years after his passing in the wild and wacky STEAMpunk Pottery Project performance by Bay St. Louis artist Steve Barney. Featuring “The World’s Most Amazing Pottery Machine,” Barney will hoist himself in the air and throw pots upside down. Moreover, Steve will use his head to mold and shape clay vessels, designed to inspire students and integrate art with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). Enjoy free museum admission, cake, refreshments, food trucks, and exciting interactive art demonstrations and activities with Steve all day.

Exhibitions on view during the event will be Visionary Bayou Technician by Steve Shepard in the IP Casino Resort Spa Exhibitions Gallery and Southern Witness by John Barnes in the Beau Rivage Casino Gallery of African American Art.

Steve Shepard’s Visionary Bayou Technician, in the words of the artist, “speak(s) a visionary language of deep ecology inspired by the natural history of the northern Gulf of Mexico and its disintegration at the hands of developers investing in sprawling overpopulation and exploitation.” The artist includes among his influences the art of Walter Anderson, the Post-Impressionists, and the Chicago Imagists. Steve Shepard’s education includes a BFA from the University of South Alabama in 1977 and a summer at the Santa Fe Workshops of Contemporary Art in 1976.

The works collected in Southern Witness by John Barnes are painted wooden assemblages inspired by the historic cycle of race-positioning in relation to power and servitude in the contemporary South. The works use a variety of surfaces from lush, colorfully painted surfaces to heavily-grained bare plywood. John Barnes received his MFA in Sculpture from The Memphis College of Art in 1999. He now works out of New Orleans and is currently an artist-in-residence at the Joan Mitchell Center.

 

Become a member on Ohr’s Birthday and stick around for our Mad Potter Block Party member appreciation event presented by O’Keefe Financial Services from 4 pm to 8 pm. Non-member admission is $10 and we’ll have an appearance by George Ohr, a BBQ including two roasted pigs, and fun for all!

 

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Volunteer at the Ohr-O’Keefe!

Enthusiastic volunteers are needed!

Volunteers 18 years of age and up work with museum staff, art educators, and other individuals. Visitor Service Assistants gain customer service experience at the information desk during daily activities and during special events and programs. Children’s Class Assistants gain child-care and teaching experience as they learn hands-on about art museum education as a profession. Docent volunteers complete a comprehensive training program and lead interactive art appreciation tours for school groups and community groups.

Volunteering is a great way to become familiar with contemporary art and artists while working as part of a professional art museum team. Flexible schedules and exciting opportunities are available.

Contact Adriaan Simpson at visitorinfo@georgeohr.org

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Smoke Firing in a Barrel Kiln

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smoke fired pot
Paper Kiln
Barrel Firing
Paper Kiln

In February of this year Paulette Dove, a local painter and art educator, taught a workshop at the Ohr on how to make a paper kiln, a technique she learned at NCECA the last time it was in New Orleans. It’s similar to a pit firing, a low and slow method that creates marks from added materials and fuming. You cover the pots in all sorts of strange stuff like banana peels, rock salt, and seaweed then wrap them in aluminum foil before you build the temporary kiln around them and fire it up. The process for the Paper Kiln was really fun and everyone was feeding off the energy.

Ever since, I’ve been wanting to add a new alternative firing process at the studio besides the raku that we can do on a regular basis. That’s where Kathleen Varnell comes in. Along with being a ceramic artist for many years, Kathleen was also the Curator at the Mississippi Museum of Art. She does a Smoke Firing in a barrel, which is similar to the paper kiln, and she was kind enough to share her process with us in the Ohr studio. You can use the aluminum foil saggar for this kind of firing, too, if you’re looking for more color. But, these are some results without adding anything but the sawdust and paper.

Barrel firing is on the very low end of the temperature spectrum for ceramics (seldom going above 1500℉,) and work is usually fired to bisque beforehand. Although this way of firing isn’t good for any sort of surface you would want to eat off of, you get some beautiful results. There’s a lot of subtlety and drama available from firing this way, and the “set it and forget it” way of firing makes it a very appealing option for finishing a pot.

Some of the oldest pottery discovered was fired similarly, and the carbon coming from the combustible material used creates effects usually only seen in nature.

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Executive Architect

Eley Guild Hardy

In 2008, Guild Hardy Architects merged with Eley Associates of Jackson to create one of the largest architectural, engineering and interior design firms in the state. Now known as Eley Guild Hardy Architects, the firm was founded in 1953 on the principle of providing comprehensive professional services and excellent design. EGH continues this tradition today with a highly skilled and talented team of professionals including architects, interior designers and civil engineers that provides innovative design solutions to satisfy our clients’ needs.

Eley Guild Hardy’s design philosophy is that good design transcends style and substance is more important than trend. This is evident in the wide variety of projects which have been recognized for excellence by the American Institute of Architects, The American Society of Interior Designers, The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) as well as many other construction industry organizations.

As a member of the United States Green Building Council, EGH realizes the importance of sustainable design. Our commitment is evident in the design of our own Biloxi office which received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification.

Over the last half-century, Eley Guild Hardy Architects has become one of the largest and most respected architecture firms in Mississippi. With offices in Biloxi and Jackson, EGH is committed to providing superior service to clients statewide and regionally.

eleyguildhardy.com

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