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George E. Ohr: America’s First Art Potter lesson plan
Karla Smith, Biloxi, Mississippi
OVERVIEW
The state of Mississippi is home to some of the most well-known personalities
in the world of visual arts. The state has an environment of natural beauty
and it has served as the ideal location for the cultivation of creative
and artistic expression. The Mississippi Gulf Coast was one of the first
locations in the state to produce visual artists. Even though George E.
Ohr of Biloxi began making pottery in the late 1800s, it would not be
until after his death that he would receive national acclaim. Ohr struggled
during his lifetime to achieve recognition and relied heavily upon the
tactics of showmanship to attract business. Ohr was a visionary who understood
the need to market his art. Through his outrageous behavior he not only
attracted visitors to his art studio, but he also earned the title of
"Mad Potter of Biloxi."
CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS
Mississippi Studies Framework: Competencies 1, 3, 4 and 6.
TEACHING LEVELS
Grades 4 through 12.
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
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Mississippi History Now article, “George E. Ohr, America’s
First Art Potter”
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Blank or unlined paper for timelines,
poems and books
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Pencil and/or pen
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Colored pencils and markers
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Rulers
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Project board
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Construction paper
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Various resource books on George Ohr and Mississippi history
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George Ohr website: http://www.georgeohr.org
(This website contains pictures of George Ohr’s pottery as
well as family pictures and biographical information)
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Mississippi ETV video about George E. Ohr (See ordering information
under Extending the Lesson.)
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OBJECTIVES
Students will:
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Construct a timeline of significant events in the life of George
E. Ohr.
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Compose a poem about the life of George E. Ohr.
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Create a story book about the life of George E. Ohr.
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Create a museum display about a specific event in the life of George
E. Ohr.
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Create a PowerPoint presentation about the life of George E. Ohr.
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OPENING THE LESSON
The teacher will ask the students to verbally respond to the following
questions: (Student responses to the first two questions can be recorded
on the chalkboard)
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What makes one person unique from another? (Personality, etc.)
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If you were a businessperson and wanted people to buy your products,
how might your personality affect your business? (Necessary to be
fair, polite, honest, etc.)
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Can any of you think of commercials or advertisements that used
characters with unusual or unique personalities to sell products?
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Did it help you to remember the product that was being advertised?
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Inform the students that they will learn about one native Mississippian
whose pottery shop became a tourist attraction in his hometown of Biloxi
through the creation of his distinctive personality. The “Mad Potter
of Biloxi,” as George E. Ohr was called, put on quite a show for
coastal visitors. His personality made him a local celebrity, but his
artwork eventually made him an artistic legend.
DEVELOPING THE LESSON
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Explain to the students how to construct a timeline.
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Have the students go online to read the Mississippi History
Now article, “George E. Ohr, America’s First Art Potter.”
As the students read, they should make a list of key events in the
life of George Ohr.
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Have the students list the events and corresponding dates on their
timelines. Students may work independently or with partners for
this activity.
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After the students have completed their timelines, ask for student
volunteers to determine the obstacles that George Ohr faced during
his career. Students can also volunteer to share with the class
the events of Ohr’s life that they feel were the most influential
in the career of this potter.
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Allow the students to work with partners or in groups of three
to create an original poem that commemorates the life of George
Ohr. Have the students pretend that this poem will be read at a special event at the George Ohr Museum (Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of
Art).
You may want to suggest several styles of poems to students as
an example. An acrostic poem might be fun to write. George Ohr was
intrigued by the fact that the first three letters of his first
name were also his initials. He used this same naming practice with
most of his children. Remind the students that to write an acrostic
poem, they will write George E. Ohr’s name vertically. Each
letter will be used as a prompt to write a statement about the life
of George Ohr. George E. Ohr should also be at the beginning of
the first line in the poem (an example is listed below). A rhyming
poem would also represent George Ohr’s unique sense of humor
and creative personality. The students can also be encouraged to
try free verse.
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Example of an acrostic poem:
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eorge E. Ohr left Biloxi as a very young man of fourteen
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ventually finding his dream on a pottery wheel down in New Orleans.
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nly the Tchoutacabouffa River could provide him his clay and to
Biloxi he was destined to return.
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omance did blossom at the 1885 World’s Fair
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iving George opportunity to find love with a Gehring heir.
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veryone flocked to Biloxi in order to see the “Mad Potter
of Biloxi” who had such an eccentric air.
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E
O
H
R
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Allow the students to share their poems with the class. You might also
conduct a poetry contest in order to allow the students to choose the
one poem that might be appropriate for special events at
the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. Allow the students to continue working
in groups of three. Allow the groups to choose one of the following projects
or assign each group the same project.
Instruct the students to create a museum display about the life of George
E. Ohr. The display could focus on one aspect of his life. Tell the students
to pretend that this display would be found in the Ohr-O’Keefe
Museum of Art. Project boards would be excellent to complete this assignment.
Instruct the students to create a children’s pop-up book or story
book about the life of George E. Ohr. Tell the students to pretend that
this book would be sold at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art. You will
probably want to show the students examples of pop-up books as well as
other story books. Instructions on how to make pop-up books can be found
at the following websites:
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/pershing/
explorers/popup.htm
http://www.makersgallery.com/
joanirvine/howto.html
Students could also be allowed to use PowerPoint or other software to
create their books about the life of George E. Ohr.
CONCLUDING THE LESSON
Allow the students to share their displays or books with the class. The
teacher can also ask students what they found most interesting about the
life of George E. Ohr and why he deserves recognition in the world of
art. Ask the students to speculate on why it took so long for George E.
Ohr to be recognized as an artist with great talent.
ASSESSING STUDENT LEARNING
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Class participation
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Timelines
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Poems
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Pop-up books or story books
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Museum displays
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PowerPoint or technology projects
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EXTENDING THE LESSON
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Take a field trip to the George E. Ohr Museum in Biloxi. Not only can students view George Ohr’s artwork, but
the museum also provides art activities for students.
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Create a business card that George Ohr may have used.
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Research the life of a current American potter and compare and
contrast the lives of George Ohr and the potter.
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Let students create their own original artwork.
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If unable to attend the George E. Ohr Museum, students can view
the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television video produced
in 1993: “George Ohr: The Mad Potter of Biloxi.” Order
the 57-minute video from Mississippi History On Loan, a service
offered by the Museum Division, Mississippi Department of Archives
and History. Videos listed in its catalog are available free of
charge to Mississippi public schools and to eligible private schools.
Complete the required form (if you do not have one, call 601-961-4724
and ask the audiovisual coordinator to mail one to you). Mail the
completed form to: Mississippi History On Loan, Manship House Museum,
420 East Fortification Street, Jackson, MS 39202-2340. Orders will
be shipped and must be returned by first class U.S. Postal Service.
Borrowers are responsible for return shipping costs.
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Allow the students to access pictures of George E. Ohr’s artwork
at the Ohr website listed under Materials and Equipment. They will see
the famous pinch pots created by Ohr. Let the students try their
hand at creating their own pinch pots or original pottery designs.
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