Founded as the George Ohr Arts and Cultural Center in 1994, the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Miss., was months from opening in its new Frank Gehry-designed home when Hurricane Katrina struck. As described by The New York Times, Katrina’s waves “lifted a three-story floating casino, slot machines and all, and slammed it into the project.”
It was a major blow for the hard-fought project, but help was at hand from local partners including the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, which contributed substantially to reviving the project. Named for late artist George Ohr, the “Mad Potter of Biloxi,” and fellow Mississippian Jeremiah O’Keefe, a decorated WWII fighter pilot and major philanthropist, the museum finally opened in 2010.
Well before Katrina, the AAA Four Diamond property, part of MGM Resorts International and offering an 85,000-square-foot Vegas-style casino, 50,000 square feet of meeting space and 1,740 rooms, had actively supported the museum. Most significantly, Beau Rivage has hosted the museum’s annual Gala and fundraising event since 2002.
Demonstrating its total commitment to giving and the community, the resort produces the event entirely at its own cost, donating all proceeds to the museum.
Considered the social event of the year in South Mississippi, each year’s edition is themed around a celebration of Ohr.
Among the most memorable was 2011, when Beau Rivage gave attendees “Diamonds Ohr Forever.” With program highlights including a New York-style runway show; dancers painted from head to toe; and “James Bond” descending via rope onto a stage lined with “Bond Girls,” it’s little wonder that people jet in around from the world just to see what Beau Rivage has produced next—and of course try to get into the hot-ticket 500-person event.
“Every year, the Beau Rivage goes all out for our gala and we could not be happier,” says Kevin O’Brien, the museum’s executive director. “From creating the theme, designing the invitations, booking the entertainment, and managing the food, they do it all. Their team has an amazing talent for creating and developing a vision into an event unlike any other.”