Jessica Teckemeyer, MFA
Associate Professor
Jessica Teckemeyer creates mixed-media animal sculptures to explore the multiplicity in human nature. Her highly finished artworks feature dramatic, glossy human eyes to clue viewers to the introspective nature of her ideation. Some sculptures utilize hidden technology to create unexpected encounters. Her research interests include psychology, mythology, and contemporary monster theory, which result in concepts that reveal the collective unconscious. She is fascinated by the complexities of human experience. According to Curator Laura Burkhalter of the Des Moines Art Center in Iowa, “Touching on broad themes of primal emotion and ancient mythology to specific current issues such as gun violence, Teckemeyer’s art engages and unsettles on multiple levels.”
In addition to maintaining an active studio practice, Teckemeyer is the Sculpture Professor at Oklahoma State University. Before joining the faculty at OSU, she taught all levels of sculpture and ceramics at Clarke University in Iowa. She received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities in May 2010. Teckemeyer’s sculptures have been featured in eleven solo exhibitions and shown in more than fifty-five group exhibits. Her most recent solo exhibitions include “Transfigurations” at MidCoast Gallery, Davenport, IA; “Recent Work” at Lock Haven Gallery, Lock Haven, PA; “Sinners and Saints” at Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, OH; “Whispers” at Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA; and “Iowa Artist: Jessica Teckemeyer” at the Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, IA. Viewers in many cities have experienced the work, including Monaco, France; Montevideo, Uruguay; New York, NY; South Orange, NJ; Santa Ana, CA; Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; Tallahassee, FL; Cincinnati, OH; Indianapolis, IN; Denton, TX; Minneapolis, MN; Milwaukee, WI; and Des Moines, IA. She has received numerous accolades including “Best in 3D” from the “Art of the Heartland” exhibit at the Indianapolis Art Center, an award at the “Select” exhibition at the Sioux City Art Center in Iowa, “Best in Show” for the “Social & Politically Engaged Art” at the Reece Museum in Tennessee, and “Second Prize” at the “Tallahassee International” hosted at the Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts. Additionally, Teckemeyer has been awarded $10,000 in grants through the Iowa Arts Council supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Her works are in the Des Moines Art Center, Dubuque Museum of Art, and many private collections.
Teckemeyer fabricated sculptures for internationally known artist Siah Armajani from 2009 until 2013. Prior to graduate school, Teckemeyer worked in the sculpting, mold making, and painting departments at “Tivoli Too,” a 3D design and production studio located near Minneapolis, MN. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2004.