Introduction to Mira Lehr. 1:52 min. Interview: Raymond Elman. Camera: Lee Skye. Videography & Production: Dianne May Roson. Recorded: 11/4/2019, Miami Beach studio & home.
Editor’s Note: Mira Lehr passed away this morning (1/24/23) at the age of 87. The last decade of her life was filled with significant artistic accomplishments. She will be greatly missed.
MIRA LEHR is an eco-feminist artist whose career spans four decades. Her nature-based imagery encompasses painting, design, sculpture and video installations. Lehr’s processes include non-traditional media such as resin, gunpowder, fire, Japanese paper, dyes and welded steel.
Lehr has effected a new generation of young artists by serving as a mentor and collaborator. She has taught master classes with the National Young Arts Foundation and has been artist in residence at the Bascom Summer Programs.
Her solo and group exhibitions number over 300. Presently, Lehr is represented by Rosenbaum Contemporary in Boca Raton, FL. A monograph about Lehr, Arc of Nature, was published by Hard Press Editions and Hudson Hills Press in the Spring of 2015.
In 2016 a major show was installed at Fairchild Gardens reflecting her love of nature and her interest in protecting the environment. She went on to receive the Centennial Commission for a multimedia work at the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. In 2018, Lehr was invited to mount a one-person exhibition of her work at MOCA Miami.
— Mira Lehr website
The videos below are organized by Success Factor and run between 30 seconds and 5 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.
EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES: 0:48 sec.
What was your first awareness of art of any discipline?
SEIZES OPPORTUNITIES: 0:55 sec.
Why did you decide to leave and return to Miami?
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 1:08 min.
You have lived in this house for so many years. How have your feelings for the house evolved?
VALUES FIRST-RATE EDUCATION: 2:50 min.
Where did you go college, what did you study, and what did you learn that still informs you today?
DEVELOP A VOICE: 0:57 sec.
Since you couldn’t take studio art courses at Vassar, how did you develop your artistic skills?
CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY: 0:48 sec
Who were your roles models and influencers?
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 2:23 min.
Describe the arc of your career and the evolution of your images.
CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY: 0:36 sec.
When did you start using textiles in your work?
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 1:49 min.
You’ve made three dimensional pieces using rope.
CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY: 1:38 min
Why are you so open-minded — especially late in your career — to exploring new materials?
CREATES A UNIQUE AND PERSONAL BRAND: 1:37 min
Describe how you use polymer resins in your work. Isn’t it dangerous to breath in those fumes?
SERENDIPITY: 1:01 min.
Talk about the role of serendipity in your work.
COLLABORATION: 1:51 min.
What was the Miami art community like when you returned from New York in the 1970s?
UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART: 1:22 min
Talk about Dorothy Blau and her importance to the Miami art community
UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART: 0:41 sec
When did you first see an uptick in the Miami art scene leading to today’s robust community?
BREAKS THE RULES: 1:28 min.
The first exhibition listed on your CV was in 1984. Why did you wait so long to exhibit your work?
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 1:58 min
Have you done any writing about art?
SERENDIPITY: 0:42 sec
The late Morley Safer, the longest-serving reporter on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” was a friend of yours. Did you meet him because he collected your work?
UNDERSTANDS ARTISTS’ NEEDS: 0:46 sec
At what point in your painting career did you start employing assistants?
SERENDIPITY: 1:05 min.
One thing we have in common is that we both have artwork in the U.S. Arts in Embassies Program. Did you ever meet Jane Thompson, the widow of Ambassador Llewelyn Thompson, who created the Arts in Embassies program?
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 1:56 min
What are your criteria for a successful outcome?
DEVELOPE A VOICE: 1:13 min
What role should universities play in the development of artists?
UNDERSTANDS THE AUDIENCE’S PERSPECTIVE: 0:43 sec.
Do you watch people looking at your work? Do you communicate with them after observing them?
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 4:48 min.
Tell us about your interactions with Buckminster Fuller.
PERSEVERANCE FURTHERS: 2:42 min.
Talk about some of your museum exhibitions.
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 2:14 min.
Your work has a very spiritual aura. How were you influenced by religions and philosophies?
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 0:38 sec.
When did you start making jewelry?
CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY: 2:08 min.
Since you are continuously inventing new ways to express yourself, is there anything new on your drawing board?
