Arts

Art can be used as a way for people to form and develop their identity and it encourages us to think about and challenge our cultural life. We visited the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art where George Edgar Ohr's pottery and work is a focus of the museum as a whole. George Ohr was not a wealthy man which caused him to be innovative and resourceful in order to continue creating his art. The Ohr-O'Keefe Museum channels his resilience in their operation now after facing mass destruction when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

As a tribute to Ohr, Frank Gehry agreed to design the museum and, in doing so, designed self-sufficient and innovative buildings. The Board of Trustees state their mission as:

"The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art mission is to promote and preserve the unique legacy of Biloxi potter George E. Ohr and the diverse cultural heritage of the Mississippi Gulf Coast; and to exhibit works which exemplify the independent, innovative, and creative spirit of George Ohr, emancipated craftsman Pleasant Reed, and Ohr-O’Keefe Museum architect Frank Gehry." Their mission is important because of the emphasis it places on cultural heritage and the unity of diverse peoples.

George Ohr was a potter from late 1800s to early 1900s. His work was considered innovative and unique because he left his pieces in their natural states so as to accentuate the shapes of the pieces rather than color. He is now considered an early leader in an American modernist movement in the art world.

The Grapevine Pitcher in the photo below was created in 1897 and differed from his other pieces as far as the manipulation of the clay. This piece resembles the work of Susan Frackleton, another well-known artist whose work Ohr may have seen at one of the world's fairs he attended. Just two years after he created this piece, Frackleton visited Ohr in Biloxi and they created several pieces together.

The photo on the right is of a silver medal Ohr was awarded in 1904 at the Louisiana Purchase International Exposition in St. Louis. Later on, Ohr wrote a letter to Mr. C.H. Dobbs which read:

• "The public is not yet ready to invest in the original piece, something that is individual from start to finish. The public wants molds, machines, mechanics, catalogues, - capitalists and servants' art -- they want quick, plenty, big, - and cheap! As I do not create that kind I humbly beg to be excused until the 'smart set' finds out what's what, where to, which way and how much art there is in burnt clay when sold by the inch."

This quote was something that stuck out to me because Ohr highlights the capitalist and materialistic tendencies of our society. Mass-produced work is often sought after because it is much cheaper than individual work or locally owned and operated products. In Iowa City, there is a great importance placed on "buying local, eating local, etc" and I think that is something George Ohr recognized even one hundred years ago.

Social Norms

By definition, it's known as the values of behavior that society consider acceptable. The biggest social norm in MS, was manners. Mississippi rural heritage till today have been an influence. Children are taught to address their elders by saying "Yes/ No ma'am; "No/Yes sir". Inside the classroom of Moore House the teachers displayed firm discipline when mischievous behavior appeared. The children accepted their punishment without throwing a tantrum. Religion also plays a part in the ways adults train their kids in behavior.

Food

Food is embedded in Biloxi's history and is important component of their culture today. The seafood industry in particular has played a large role in the city's economic growth for 300 years. Biloxi specializes in seafood ranging from shrimp and oysters to its specialty crawfish. Since the beginning of the 1800s, Biloxi was the main supplier of shrimp and oysters to local markets in the region. By the end of the century Biloxi was considered the seafood capital of the world, exporting its products throughout the globe. In 1902 its canneries were processing almost 6 million pounds of oysters and over 4 million pounds of shrimp annually.

The immense growth Biloxi's seafood industry experienced has had an impact on the community and culture that was built throughout the years. The large wealth that spurred early on attracted a high volume of immigrants particularly from countries in the Slavic region such as Poland and Croatia. As a result, the culture of these nations have left their imprint on the city and in conjunction with Biloxi's other history makes up the culture we see there today. In addition, due to the economic success of the canning factories where seafood was processed, the industry became a family affair and established gender roles parallel to those we see throughout the globe at that time. Women and children worked in the factories whereas men worked outdoors in fishing on boats.

Today, Biloxi is home to museums and festivals that display their rich seafood history. The city hosts two festivals: Biloxi Seafood Festival and Mississippi Coast Coliseum Crawfish Festival, where they display cultural elements such as food, music and art. The Maritime and Seafood Industry Museum is also located in Biloxi and exhibits their long history of seafood. The importance of food is additionally seen by simply driving along the coast of Biloxi where one encounters a plethora or restaurants that cater their seafood delicacies.

Our group unexpectedly experienced the impact the seafood industry had on youth education at Moore Community House, where we volunteered. We learned that the reason for its creation was because a Methodist reverend noticed a women nailing her door shut and leaving her children inside. She did this because of a problem that affected most of the city's population in the early stages of Biloxi's seafood growth, women couldn't take care of their children because they had to go to work in the seafood factories during the day. As a result the Early Head Start program at Moore Community House was created to fill the need of child care in Biloxi at this time.

Gulf Coast Culture

The Gulf Coast is the coastline where the United States meets the Gulf of Mexico. The states along the shore line are called Gulf States, these states are Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. The duty of the Gulf States are to assist in the importation and exportation of products, the operation of military bases and the process of immigration and emigration. These states also have port cities, which is where boats would load and unload. Biloxi is currently known for its lighthouse and U.S. Air Force base.

The Gulf Coast is also known for its rare mixture of cultural influences. The Gulf Coast is a mixture of French, English, Spanish, Native American and American (Union, Confederate and Modern, the Democratic- Republic) cultures. They also have a fisherman influence as well, which demonstrates itself in their social norms, food, economics, music and art. The Gulf States are also known for their casinos, scenic coastal beaches, golf courses and their slow paced living. A shared motto among the Gulf States is ' live and let live'.

The people of the coast, especially Mississippi, are known for their resilience, unity and endurance. The coast has suffered from multiple hurricanes in the past, and Biloxi, Mississippi has suffered from two of the worst hurricanes in the United States within 30 years of each other, Hurricane Camille in 1969 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Also more recently the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. They have been focusing on reconstructing their environment and redeveloping their government and economy. The people of Biloxi take pride in their resiliency and they have a greater sense of community.

Sources:

http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-South/Biloxi-Recreation.html

http://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/articles/209/the-seafood-industry-in-biloxi-its-early-history-1848-1930

https://www.southernfoodways.org/oral-history/biloxis-ethnic-shrimping-communities/

http://www.deep-south-usa.com/mississippi/culture-and-cuisine/food-festivals