How long does it take before you receive recognition for lifetime achievement? For Detroit sculptor Lois Teicher, it was nearly thirty years. In 2008 she received the Michigan Artist Lifetime Achievement Award from The Governor’s Awards for Arts & Culture, produced by ArtServe Michigan. It is the longest running Michigan program recognizing statewide and international leaders in the arts and is Michigan’s largest statewide celebration of arts, culture and creativity.

Teicher was also nominated (anonymously) as a candidate for the prestigious Joan Mitchell Foundation grant. More than 50 of her works, including major fabricated metal sculptures and small models of planned sculptures, were featured in “Lois Teicher: A Sculptural Retrospective, 1979-2008” in June at the Saginaw Art Museum. She is one of five public artist finalists of which the Kansas City area Transportation Authority will contract three for project sites along the Troost Ave. corridor. The project is funded in part by the Federal Transit Administration.

Lois Teicher grew up in the 1950’s when women couldn’t do too many things considered relevant or important, much less build large scale public art. During the 1960’s the feminist movement gained momentum as it actively questioned gender norms and confronted oppressive stereotypes. In the 1970’s, women changed the way art was made and talked about forever, and Lois was in the vanguard. Feminism influenced her identity as a woman. She raised three children, went back to school to earn a master’s degree in sculpture from Eastern Michigan University, and after nine more years of dedicated work, received her first major commission.

The site specific “Paper Airplane Series with Deep Groove” was commissioned in 1996 by Bishop International Airport in Flint Michigan. Three of them (14 feet long, 10 feet wide and 7 feet high) were completed, with just one weighing 3,000 pounds. Lois was selected from 300 finalists.

Paper Airplane Series with Deep Groove

Teicher says of her own work: “Visual art is a language. Through form my ideas are expressed. My intention is to recognize and understand what the natural world has provided, and present these ideas to the viewer via the poetry of three-dimensional form.”

“One recurring theme in my work is the idea of Time/Space, and the idea of pairs of opposites held in dynamic tension. For example - we exist in a magnetic field where opposing forces are constantly at play.”

“Bench with Three Deep Seats”, Aluminum, 8’ high x 8′ long x 42″ deep; Ferris State University, Big Rapids, MI

Her work is often spoken of as “spiritual”. Teicher is known for taking on the challenge of creating site-specific installation art and won a statewide competition for sculpting the Curved Form with Rectangle and Space, created for installation in Hudson’s Art Park. She has had public sculptures on view throughout Michigan, including in the Detroit Institute of Arts, downtown’s Boll Family YMCA, and Grand Blanc Bus Terminal. Teicher has received many awards, including the Pollock-Krasner International Award from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in New York City and the Michigan Arts and Patrons Award from the Arts Foundation of Michigan. Teicher’s work also has been featured in prominent national print media and profiles in books, such as Contemporary American Women Sculptors, Detroit Art in Public Places, and The Detroit Institute of Arts, a Brief History.

Evie Wheat, a former Board of Directors member for ArtServe Michigan said, “Her work shows that she has been consistently thoughtful in her beliefs, ideas and passions and in the high quality of her work as well. Her sculpture comes alive as poetry set in motion with a spiritual quality.”

‘The Sculptor’ A Video Documentary

Joshua Teicher

Lois Teicher’s son Joshua produced a short video documentary about his mother the artist. ”It is a story about what it take to be a true artist; Focus, determination and just plain drive. ‘The Sculptor’ depicts my mothers life from the everyday struggle to keep it going to the women’s movement and marching on Washington DC. It is a story for anybody who ever wanted to be or is an artist” he said. ‘The Sculptor’ is a semifinalist in the 3rd annual Show Off Your Shorts Film Festival in Beverly Hills CA. The film will screen at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood, California

Joshua Teicher grew up in the suburbs of Detroit until around 1989. He lived part time with his mother at her Studio across from Eastern Market .

The film was shot over a span of about 8 years. He used to live in San Francisco and I would bring his digital camera every time he visited for the holidays. He moved to NY about 6 years ago and continued to shoot interviews when he visited. Lois had some old footage that she had shot of her working in the 80’s that really helped the piece.

“I think my mom works in Detroit because she has lived there all her life and she likes to be around her family. I would also say my mom is a real Detroit person, as in she reflects the city into her work”, said Joshua.

“I really enjoyed creating this short film for my mother because I watched her continue to push forward in a very stubborn way. (Meaning that she had a lot of “no” before any “Yes"). We would both send brain waves to grant committees to try and force the outcome of the process.”

Thedetroiter.com is proud to present Mr. Teicher’s film here.

Part I.

Part II.