By Barbara Johnson Ross, Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art

Three new exhibitions will open in June at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Mississippi.  An artists’ reception will be held free to all on Thursday, July 12 from 5:30-8pm. The reception will also celebrate the 155^th birthday of George Ohr (July 12, 1857).

Trailer McQuilkin: An Uncommon Beauty opens on June 5^th, featuring the work of Ocean Springs artist Trailer McQuilkin Beyond achieving botanical accuracy in sculpture, McQuilkin documents plants that could be lost to us in the very near future due to extinction from loss of habitat or other environmental assault. The artist uses copper, oil paint and found objects to create a natural world that delights the eye. Exhibition funded in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency

The Art of Eugene Martin: A Great Concept opens on June 5^th Eugene Martin (1938-2005) was born in Washington D.C., but spent the last nine years of his life in Lafayette, Louisiana painting prolifically in his studio.  Martin is best known for his imaginative, complex mixed media collages on paper, his often gently humorous drawings, and his paintings that incorporate whimsical allusions to animal, machine and structural imagery.  Martin called his works that straddle abstraction and representation “satirical abstracts.”  His art defies categorization. Funded in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency

Geoff Mitchell:  Chaos at the Confessional opens on July 12^th A native of Gulfport, Mississippi, Geoff Mitchell now resides in Los Angeles, California.  Mitchell mixes images in a free associative and intuitive manner, similar to the way an abstract artist uses color.  He describes himself as a “designer of clouds,” in which viewers will find their own stories.  Embedded in his compositions, are photo transfers that the artist describes as one-of-a-kind selections from life.  The exhibition will feature a selection of mixed media works and contemplative videos by the artist. Exhibition funded by IP Casino Resort Spa and R&B Feder Charitable Foundation for the Beaux-Arts

George E. Ohr: Selections from Gulf Coast Collections continues, as well as the opportunity to visit the Pleasant Reed Interpretive Center for a glimpse of how a man born into slavery built a home as a free man and member of the Biloxi community in the late 1800s.

Hours of operation are 10:00 am-5:00 pm Tuesday – Saturday.  Please visit www.georgeohr.org for more information.