Ohr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art

The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art is an art museum in Biloxi on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, designed by architect Frank Gehry with curving metal structures set among old oak trees. The complex includes several freestanding pavilions, a welcome center, and a ceramics studio that provides space for exhibitions and classes.

Construction began in 2000 to honor the work of George Ohr, a potter who lived from 1857 to 1918 and experimented with unusual forms in Biloxi. Hurricane Katrina damaged the construction site severely in 2005, delaying the opening until 2010.

The name connects the local potter George Ohr with artist Annette O'Keefe, who championed the project and fostered the link between traditional craft and present-day art. Visitors today see work from the Gulf Coast region alongside objects that keep the ceramic heritage of this place alive.

The pavilions sit on a wide site, so visitors walk between several buildings during a tour. The ceramics studio offers pottery classes that are often booked ahead to secure a spot.

A casino barge was pushed onto the construction site by the storm and damaged the pavilions that were still under construction. After rebuilding, the old oak trees survived and now shape the feel of the space between the metal forms.