The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Artist receives Lifetime Achievement Award
By Brian Cox, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 10, 2008
By all accounts, Taylor Jacobsen is a modern renaissance man.
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"He's a jack-of-all-trades," said his childhood friend, Wayne Clements. "I don't know what he can't do."
The funny thing is, Clements isn't exaggerating.
The recipient of this year's Saline Salutes Lifetime Achievement Award, Jacobsen is an artist, a gardener, a cook, a history buff and a preservationist.
He has had his talented hands in some of the most significant, historical preservation projects in Saline.
"He contributed to the success of Saline and to the identity we have as a small town," Clements said. "All the activities he does have helped mold Saline's identity. He's a Saline icon."
Jacobsen, 70, graduated from Saline High School in 1955 and went on to teach art at the high school for 40 years.
"It was the greatest job in the world," he said of teaching. "Some of my greatest friendships came out of those classrooms."
His influence as an art teacher has been vast, touching thousands of students and artists.
Saline High School graduate Kim Brown, co-founder, editor and director of sales for Art Showcase Magazine, which promotes fine artists in Southeastern Michigan, credits the "inimitable" Jacobsen with inspiring her love of art history.
When he retired from teaching, Jacobsen thought he would have more time to paint.
He hasn't found it. A wide range of other projects command his attention, from helping to publish the Saline High School alumni book to co-writing a 24-page history commemorating the 175th anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church of Saline.
Still, most Thursday evenings, he can be found at the Saline Senior Center facilitating a watercolor class he formed almost 40 years ago and he teaches drawing and other art classes at the Two Twelve Art Center.
Much of Jacobsen's efforts and energy in recent years have been directed toward historical preservation projects, including the restoration of his property, Saline Mills, the Bixby Marionette Exhibit, and the Weber-Blaess one-room schoolhouse.
A founding member of the Saline Area Schools Historical Preservation Committee, he speaks with great enthusiasm about the schoolhouse, the restoration of which was a three-year project. The school has now been incorporated into the district's third- and fourth-grade curriculum.
"We decided if we were going to do it, we needed to develop a curriculum," he said. "We wanted the school to be used. It's a great marriage."
Jacobsen still gets a thrill when he sees a young student enter the restored school for the first time. He likes the way their eyes grow big.
With Clements, Jacobsen attended the Lodi Plains School, the stove and bell of which are now housed at Weber-Blaess.
"Going to the country school was one of the gems of my life," he said.
Jacobsen is effusive in his praise for the success of the project, which he credits to the committee's dedication and commitment.
"This city is like that," he said. "Everyone will come together for a common purpose. In this community are all these people who are willing to jump in and do things if they have direction."
Jacobsen married his wife, Charlene, 37 years ago. The couple has two sons, Einor and Arn, who were christened with Scandinavian names in honor of Jacobsen's ancestry. His family moved to Saline from Escanaba when he was in kindergarten.
Jacobsen thrives and draws satisfaction from taking on community projects because he enjoys surrounding himself with good people and good leadership, he says.
"It all has to do with leadership and getting people enthused, and we've had the people to do that," he said. "I love doing exciting stuff and having exciting people around me. You've got to make it exciting. Passion can be contagious."
A small, infectious smile sprouts on his white-bearded face when asked about whether he has another project lined up.
"There's always another project," he said.
Staff Writer Brian Cox can be reached at 429-7380 or bcox@heritage.com.
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