HancockCountyRelief

Great Tile Project

By the Numbers: The Great Tile Project
Biloxi, November 6, 2006--The Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art’s Great Tile Project has taken off as its concept of “art for practical use” is reaching youth throughout the Coast. To date, 547 tiles have been fired for over 400 children, according to OOMA potter Sara Miller. In coming weeks, additional projects are planned in Bay St. Louis and Gulfport.

With the project, the students are taught about ceramics and the importance of tile in design as they make individual tiles that can be used as gifts or in school murals—depending on the teacher’s request.

All Great Tile Project experiences are offered free of charge by the museum and are funded through education grants including a recent one from the Packard Foundation through the Foundation for the Mid-South. Educators working with the museum project are Miller; Kathy Bristol; Paul Dubaz; and Charles Comstock.

Classrooms and entire projects have contacted the museum for further information, and the educators foresee scheduling for the project to continue for at least two full school years. Also assisting with the project is Dogwood Ceramics of Gulfport. Recent projects have been held at Ocean Springs High School and D’Iberville High School as well as Michel Middle School in Biloxi.

For more information, call the museum at 228.374.5547 or email Sara Miller at cjjpjd@yahoo.com, or Kathy Bristol at artmom2@msn.com.

posted by Leslie @ 11/08/2006 11:18:00 AM