EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT OHR-O’KEEFE MUSEUM OF ART BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art (OOMA) has opened a search for its new Executive Director. The Frank Gehry designed museum showcase showcases the American ceramist who pioneered how the art was created and valued, George Ohr. Though Biloxi’s “Mad Potter” has been highlighted in various academia channels, media and artistic endeavors; it was deemed a world-class museum was necessary to truly demonstrate Ohr’s skill and contribution to the art world. Incorporated in 1993 as a 501c3 private nonprofit educational institution, the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art (OOMA) is located on 5.5 acres in the City of Biloxi. The new campus, while under construction, was heavily damaged by 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. Reconstruction at the current site began in 2008. In November 2010, Phase I of the new campus opened. OOMA’s art, architecture, and programming form a symbiotic relationship. Each of the buildings individually and collectively serves aspects of the OOMA mission. Four of the five Gehry designed buildings - the Mississippi Sound Welcome Center, the IP Casino Resort Spa Exhibitions Gallery, the Beau Rivage Gallery of African American Art, the City of Biloxi Center for Ceramics, one Pod gallery, and two historic structures, the Pleasant Reed Interpretive Center and the Creel House, are now open to the public. • The 6432 sq ft Mississippi Sound Welcome Center, entry building for the campus, introduces visitors to the Museum and to Mississippi. The glass and brick main hall contains a reception area, display racks for information on area cultural activities, a small gallery with an overview of OOMA history, café, public amenities, and free WIFI • The IP Casino Resort Spa Exhibitions Gallery (1508 sq ft) displays changing exhibitions of 20th and 21st century artwork in a variety of media. • The Beau Rivage Gallery of African American Art (1700 sq ft) dedicated to the exhibition of work by or about African Americans, features two exhibition areas. Currently, the smaller Star Gallery is the temporary home of the George Ohr exhibit until the John S. and James L. Knight Pod Galleries are completed. • The City of Biloxi Center for Ceramics (11,249 sq ft) opened in June 2012. The first floor houses a professional pottery studio for instruction and demonstration by regional and national ceramic artists, and a storage vault. The second floor has open space appropriate for lectures, small exhibits, classes, and rental. The third floor is home to administrative offices and a reference library. The fourth floor is the board meeting room and available as a rental space. • The Pleasant Reed Interpretive Center is a faithful reconstruction of the 1400 sq ft Pleasant Reed home. Born enslaved on a Hattiesburg plantation, Reed, at 12 yrs of age moved with his family to the Gulf Coast following the Civil War. General Position Description: The Executive Director is the chief administrative official of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art (the “Museum” or “OOMA”) and reports directly to the Board of Trustees (“Board”). S/he will be responsible for implementing the Museum’s mission through creative management of the Museum’s daily operations and strategic planning for its sustainable future. This work will include fiscally responsible oversight of the professional care and growth of the Museum’s collections and facilities, public access to those collections through innovative exhibition and outreach, and the wide dissemination of knowledge related to the collections through research, publication and other forms of access. The Executive Director will work with the Board and staff to plan, develop, implement, and manage a high profile, comprehensive series of temporary and permanent exhibitions and related public programs. Responsibilities include developing strategies to display work from the permanent collection on a rotational basis, securing and arranging for appropriate temporary and/or traveling exhibitions drawn from outside the permanent collection, and to organize traveling exhibitions drawn from the collections. Moreover, the Executive Director will be expected to oversee the continued development of multi-generational educational programming. OOMA’s Executive Director will also lead a talented staff and provide direction and guidance to volunteers, trustees, contractors and outside individuals and entities connected with the Museum’s programs. The Executive Director will use these relationships to develop strong collaborations with relevant community organizations to ensure that OOMA exhibitions, programs, and other activities will grow audiences and enrich the educational and cultural life of the region. Visitor engagement will expand by offering interdisciplinary programming designed to attract and engage those from every sector of the Mississippi Gulf Coast community, as well as visitors to the region. Finally, the Executive Director will manage an annual operating budget that includes funds derived from earned revenue, donors, corporate supporters and external granting agencies and foundations, along with earnings from a dedicated endowment. S/he will work closely in consultation with the Board, staff, volunteers, and other key stakeholders to seek external gifts and grants to enhance OOMA’s operations and collection development. The Museum seeks a candidate either with a Master ’s degree (or above), preferably in the visual arts, history, sciences, museum studies, or non-profit/public administration or with an equivalent combination of the appropriate education and experience. The salary and compensation package are competitive and are commensurate with experience. Application Information: Additional information about the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, its programs, and the Executive Director position (including the job description) can be found at GeorgeOhr.org/Employment. Qualified applicants should send a substantive letter of application that addresses the specifics of the position, resume, samples of written work and/or production relevant to this position (e.g., grant narratives, catalogs portfolios of installments, etc.), along with complete contact information for three references to employment@georgeohr.org. Final candidates will be subject to criminal history, credit history, and motor vehicle background checks. Review of applications will begin in January 2020 and will continue until the position is filled.