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By Leslie Virostek
As a doctor specializing in gastroenterology and internal medicine, Thomas Zaccheo initially took up ceramics as a form of relaxation. But his hobby became a passion, and when he retired from his medical practice Zaccheo embarked on a second career—as an artist.
More than three decades later, having accumulated about 100 hours of coursework at Central, the 91-year-old ceramicist, sculptor, and perpetual student is sharing his body of work with the campus community. His retrospective exhibit, titled “Transformed by Fire: Feats of Clay,” will be on display from Sept. 5 to Oct. 4 in Central Art Gallery of Samuel S. T. Chen Fine Arts Center at Maloney Hall. The opening reception will take place on Sept. 5 at 4 p.m.
The show’s name reflects Zaccheo’s view that the transformation of raw clay into ceramic artwork is a metaphor for life: We become who we are by being “transformed by the fire of failure and life experience.”
It’s an apt theme for a nonagenarian artist with so many decades of experience to draw upon. Professor of Art and Design Priya Green, the gallery’s director, calls Zaccheo an “inspiring person” and an “extremely productive” artist.
She says, “The show is really meant to be inspiration for everyone in our community to see what’s possible.”
As Zaccheo notes, “We live in an age where we revere youth. But age does not prevent creativity.”
The exhibit will showcase dozens of Zaccheo’s wheelwork, slab work, and hand-built pieces, as well as metalwork and mixed-media sculptures, some figurative and some abstract. Zaccheo says his trajectory as an artist has been influenced not just by his formal learning, but also by his travels to explore such artifacts as the clay horses of Xian and the Moorish tiles of Spain.
Projects for Zaccheo often start with ideas he has jotted down on paper. He has a whole folder of them. Creating something then involves “a long, evolutionary process.”
He says, “It’s wonderful to be able to take an idea and make it concrete.”
The piece he is most proud of is one that honors the courage of his parents and of all immigrants who came to this country with little more than their dreams. It is a 16-inch-long hand-built ceramic ship, with a square sail made of distressed bronze. Several 250-year-old, blacksmith-crafted nails give the impression of figures on the deck.
He says, “I thought they would be a good representation of the immigrants’ steely resolve to succeed in the New World.”
Another piece, "The Trail of the Industrial Revolution," can be viewed at Willard-DiLoreto Hall, just to the right of the front entrance.
Zaccheo says that Central, which belongs to a global network of like-minded institutions, provides a welcoming and supportive environment for older students.
“Central is one of the first age-friendly universities in the United States,” he says, noting that retired people need things to do. “I think CCSU is a place to explore second careers.”
Zaccheo has thoroughly enjoyed taking courses with students who are decades his junior.
“I think intergenerational relationships are very important,” he says. “It’s been very rewarding for me to get some energy from the younger people.”
The relationship is a two-way street. Zaccheo, who never audits classes because being graded makes him work harder, is a role model for his work ethic, passion for learning, and productivity.
“He is just the epitome of a lifelong learner,” says Green. “He demonstrates that learning doesn’t have to end with graduating from college. You can learn for the rest of your life. And that’s a good lesson for students.”
To date, Zaccheo’s work has been exhibited in the New Britain Museum of Art and the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, and in recent years he has branched out to the realm of public art, bidding on projects for various municipalities.
His 2023 sculpture, ”Flight of Fancy,” can be found at 14 Hope St. in Greenfield, Mass., affixed to the brick building that houses the Greenfield Recorder. Zaccheo undertook the project in collaboration with his son and grandson. Creating it involved shaping quarter-inch aluminum into several birds with six-foot wingspans, and then using grinding techniques to perfect a feather pattern. After months of 60-hour work weeks, the project was completed in a 12-hour installation involving a cherry picker truck.
Zaccheo says, “To go on and follow your dreams takes perseverance and hard labor.”
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Artist Tom Zaccheo crafted this 16-inch-long hand-built ceramic ship, with a square sail made of distressed bronze. Several 250-year-old, blacksmith-crafted nails give the impression of figures on the deck. (Photo by John Henninger)
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"Flight of Fancy" by Thomas Zaccheo