Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Blake with our beautiful award!
Why we were there: Peter Anderson Festival
When we were there: November 2020
How was the show: This show surprised us. I had heard about it from other artists, but did not expect to be so impressed by it. We made great sales, meet lovely people, and they gave us an Award of Excellence. Thank you!
Where did we go: Wow! Ocean Springs is full of cool and unusal things. A quaint town that is full of art, everywhere. The history of the town leads back to the three Anderson brothers circa early 20th Century. The Walter Anderson Museum is a good place to start to understand the legacy this family has. Really it is a must see, the stories of lives lived on “inhospitable islands” and the struggles and successes of artists from that era are really a treasure. The Ocean Springs Museum of History has example of Peter Anderson’s pottery work, which is the what the tile in in our award relates to. The town is full of artwork and murals from the brother’s Anderson and art shops, tattoo parlors, and studio of their descendants.
What is on our list for the next visit: Clearly, we did not plan on Ocean Springs being so fascinating and did not schedule enough time in the area. Our list of places to see the next time we visit is long. Continuing with the Anderson’s story, there is Shearwater Pottery which is a working pottery studio founded in the 1920’s by Peter. (Have I mentioned my pottery fetish!) Next is the Frank Lloyd Wright house on the shore, the Charnley-Norwood House. Not actually sure that we can visit and tour, but we can dream. Over in Biloxi, which is over the causeway to the west there is the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art, a tribute to master potter George Ohr set in a Frank Gehry building. And let’s not forget the Round Church that I passed by as we were exploring. Oh, one more, we need to get a donut from Totonut which is, I am told, makes the best donuts in the world.
Snapshots:
