Alumni Interview with Lois Teicher ’79, Crafts

“Woman of Steel”

Lois Teicher’s first foray into designing and creating outdoor structures came at a young age, building massive and elaborate forts in an empty field next door to her childhood home in Detroit. Today, Teicher is one of the region’s most recognizable public sculpture artists thanks largely to an unwavering commitment to her craft and an uncompromising attitude toward pursuing her passion. In addition to her public art, Teicher has been featured in multiple publications and will be the focus of an upcoming documentary covering her life and the stories of  Detroit’s contemporary art scene.

Join us as we learn more about Lois Teicher, her time at CCS, what motivates and inspires her, and her journey to becoming “Detroit’s Woman of Steel.”

Lois on Her Career

College for Creative Studies (CCS): Can you tell us a little bit about your career?

Lois Teicher: I am a sculptor specializing in creating site-specific, public, and private sculptures. I also oversee all aspects of each project, which includes hiring boom trucks, figuring footing scale in relation to sculpture, overseeing footing installation, and more. Simultaneously, I create small-scale three-dimension pieces in my studio.

CCS: You have installations all over the state of Michigan. Are there any that mean more to you than others?

Teicher: I created a piece titled Curved Form with Rectangle and Space in 2000. It’s permanently installed adjacent to the Scarab Club (Detroit), and it’s one of my favorites because of its minimal shape and concept (revealing the essence). Also because it was a creative opportunity that gave me credibility in the art community. Creating this sculpture taught me a lot about myself and my abilities while reinforcing the integrity of my expression. I am very appreciative to have had this opportunity.

CCS: Is there a professional moment you are most proud of?

Teicher: After nine long years of trying, securing my first major commission in 1994 with Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan. I imagined and fabricated the large paper airplane-inspired pieces specifically for Bishop International Airport. I was selected out of a group of more than 50 professional artists. 

CCS: How difficult was it for you to remain patient until you landed that first big project?

Teicher: Difficult at times, but I knew what I wanted to achieve. I always said, “Even if it takes me 20 years, I will never give up until I reach my goal.”

CCS: What inspires your work?

Teicher: Everything, really. I realized that the natural world is a great resource and that physics is the foundation for all life and natural phenomena. This realization recognizes and includes elements such as space, light, tension, symmetry and asymmetry, gravity and motion. This is the world we live in.

CCS: What do you enjoy most about your career?

Teicher: The creative journey and the interaction with people. With each commissioned project I have been treated with respect and trust. I have enjoyed total creative authority with each project.

CCS: What are the major challenges you face in this industry?

Teicher: Competing with so many sculptors, and spending hours and hours filling out requirements for commissions.

Lois on Her Time at CCS

CCS: You did not come to the College for Creative Studies in the traditional way. How did you find yourself at CCS?

Teicher: I would say that my first career was raising three children. After that, I decided to go back to school and found myself at Wayne State University. I knew that art school was the right place for me.

CCS: What was it about CCS that made you decide to come here?

Teicher: As I recall, I think I knew someone who was a student at CCS. I knew that I would get a well-rounded education, and that because my focus was on becoming a visual artist, CCS would be the perfect place for me.

CCS: Did you have any mentors at CCS?

Teicher: Gordon O’Rear, who taught ceramics at the time, treated me seriously and was not dismissive of me as if I were some bored housewife looking to take classes for fun. I found him to be very intelligent and kind and, consequently, he was very important to me. Also, Julia Henshaw Wise, the art history professor, taught a course about women artists who were left out of the art history books. That course was important in revealing female role models, saying to me that I could be successful and be taken seriously.

CCS: What is your favorite memory from your time at CCS?

Teicher: Firing ceramic pots in the outdoor kiln, and sharing potluck lunches with the other students and Gordon. 

CCS: What is one thing you learned in art school that you will never forget?

Teicher: That being an artist is what I was meant to be. I knew that it would be challenging, but going to CCS helped me in so many ways. Looking back, I think my drive to succeed has always been with me, and CCS gave me the physical place and a learning environment that I will never forget.

CCS: If not for College for Creative Studies …

Teicher: I would not be who I am today. CCS surrounded me with great students and faculty who helped me to believe in myself and gain self-confidence in a safe and stimulating environment. Being able to learn and grow in a creative environment was wonderful. 

In the Studio with Lois

CCS: What is the most exciting thing you are working on right now?

Teicher: I am currently a finalist for a new public art project, but working in my studio is always the most exciting thing for me.

CCS: If you could go back, what advice would you give yourself?

Teicher: I would have advised myself to take classes and learn more about architecture and schematic drawing methods. This would have been particularly helpful early in my career, but of course, I did not know that I would specialize in creating large-scale public art.

CCS: What else do we have to look forward to from you?

Teicher: I am going to be featured in an upcoming documentary called Lois: Detroit’s Woman of Steel. I’m excited to be a part of this project that focuses on myself and internationally known women artists.

Are you interested in sharing your story with CCS? Let us know by updating your information with the College so we can stay in touch!