BILOXI, Miss., — A new $3 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will complete the most significant structure of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art: the gallery that displays the work of the celebrated Mississippi potter, George Ohr.
The Frank Gehry-designed building is the last remaining piece in the construction of the East Biloxi museum. It will be named the John S. and James L. Knight Gallery
Knight Foundation and the museum announced the grant at a Thursday night gala celebrating the opening of three other buildings on the museum campus. The Knight Gallery is scheduled to open in 2012.
“Frank Gehry’s works have proven again and again the power of architecture to transform community life,” said Dennis Scholl, vice president of Knight Foundation’s arts program. “George Ohr’s pottery is a national treasure. Frank Gehry’s exquisite building is the perfect way to celebrate it. Together, we hope they’ll engage thousands each year in appreciating the beauty and culture of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.”
Knight will also fund a documentary on Ohr, Gehry and Jerry O’Keefe, the museum’s lead patron and former Biloxi mayor. The video will be played in the welcome center and broadcast on TV and online.
The new John S. and James L. Knight Gallery consists of four gently sculptured “pods” clad in stainless steel panels, and connected by a central glass-enclosed gallery. The shaping of each pod mirrors the twisted forms of Ohr’s famed pottery. The gallery contains 2,900 square feet of exhibition space.
The self-proclaimed “Mad Potter of Biloxi,” Ohr (1857-1918) created a body of work from Mississippi clay that defied the aesthetic conventions of the 19th century. His legacy is now recognized for its influence on 20th and 21st century works.
The grant continues Knight Foundation’s long-standing commitment to improve the Mississippi Gulf Coast region by supporting community projects with transformational impact: Since 1987, Knight Foundation has invested $24 million in the Mississippi Gulf Coast area, including support for the Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding and Renewal, the Knight Nonprofit Center and a prior $641,000 grant to the Ohr-O’Keefe museum for repairs following Hurricane Katrina. Locally, Knight Foundation helps promote informed and engaged communities by funding through the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The community foundation’s Knight fund will support the filming of the documentary on the museum.
“Knight Foundation has been a long-standing and critically significant supporter of our community. The breadth of the support, which ranges from helping rebuild after Katrina to supporting the museum, reflects the foundation’s commitment to the Gulf Coast,” said Patti Golden, president of the Ohr-O’Keefe board of trustees.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed and engaged communities and lead to transformational change. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
Contact: Marc Fest, Vice President of Communications, Knight Foundation,
305-908-2677; [email protected]