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by Keith Burton - GCN 5/24/08 Hurricane Katrina dealt a vicious blow to organizers of the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Arts on east beach Biloxi, the museum was well under construction prior to the hurricane. Since the storm, efforts to get the project restarted have been underway and earlier this month, on May 16, the museum's board of trustees announced a $1 million donation from the IP Casino Resort & Spa. The occasion for the donation was the resort's opening of their new Tien Restaurant. The IP's
donation is one of three major donations to the museum from private
sources, but the museum has received numerous smaller donations since the
project began and still needs public and business support. In addition to
the IP's donation, the museum has received $1 million donations from the
family of Jerry O'Keefe in memory of Annette O'Keefe, as well as another
$1 million from the Beau Rivage. During the ceremony for the IP donation, Larry Clark, President of the Ohr-O'Keefe museum said, “I am thrilled by the million dollar gift from the IP”, said Larry Clark. “For years, our museum has been able to count on major players like the Beau Rivage. To welcome another heavyweight like the IP to our list of major contributors really gives our museum the backing we need in the local community to enable us to solicit gifts from foundations from around the country.” The Ohr Museum plans to reveal its goal for rebuilding the museum in the near future. Construction on the museum's Exhibitions Gallery and other buildings begin this summer. The Exhibitions Gallery will feature modern and contemporary art from around the world as well as from the southeastern region. More Information:
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