the ohr o'keefe museum of art - the george e ohr gallery pods by frank gehry
image courtesy ohr o'keefe museum of art


opening this weekend is the first stage of the ohr o'keefe museum of art in biloxi,
mississippi designed by frank gehry. the new campus was fifteen months from opening
when hurricane katrina struck in 2005.

set within a grove of ancient live oak trees, gehry designed the ohr o'keefe project
as a series of six small pavilions woven among the trees and connected by an open
brick plaza, creating an inviting and lively arts campus that maintains the existing
park setting and encourages pedestrian circulation throughout the site. the entire
system employs a micro pile foundation system intended to minimize impact on
the root systems of the live oak trees. the use of local materials, the use of references
to the local vernacular, and the scale and placement of each of the pavilions on the site,
represent sensitive responses to the conditions of the site and to the context of
the surrounding area. the 25 000 square foot ohr - o'keefe museum campus provides
facilities for art exhibition and education, and cultural and community events.

the pavilions that compromise the ohr o'keefe museum of art are the welcome center,
the exhibition gallery, the gallery of african american art, the george e ohr gallery,
and the center for ceramics. in addition, two historic buildings are also located
on the campus - the pleasant reed interpretive center and the creel house.



the george e ohr gallery pods
photo by scilit



the george e ohr gallery pods
photo by scilit



the ohr o'keefe museum of art - nearing completion
photo by doug sinclair



model of the ohr o'keefe museum of art
image courtesy gehry partners