Zweig’s ceramics class makes a profound impact on campus
Zweig glazing an art piece (photo: Sophia Hughes, The Puma Prensa)
By Audrey Rauh, Features editor
One day, you're a college student slacking off in your ceramics class; the next, you're the teacher of a buzzing ceramics program at Maria Carrillo. Sound familiar? It might not be to you, but it certainly does to Mr. Zweig.
Zweig started teaching art and video at Santa Rosa Middle School and moved to Elsie Allen High School to teach ceramics – a subject he had no experience in. Unless, of course, you count the one ceramics class he took in college in which he got a D. He took a course in ceramics at the Sebastopol Community Center for the Arts to prepare and made his way through his first year teaching at Elsie Allen, forced to learn as he went. Although he misses Elsie Allen dearly, he was excited to move to Carrillo and build upon their ceramics program, “I got to make it whatever I wanted,” Zweig explained. However, Zweig’s first year at Carrillo was spent teaching ceramics all online, which proved challenging. He taught his students how to make claydoh, a play dough-like material that the students could use to complete their assignments. He later got them some air-dry clay, called WED, that would work well for the class. With the skills he had gained, he made online classwork and was excited to get back to school and start building up the program. Zweig stated, “I came with an arsenal of procedural techniques and studio techniques that worked very well that I figured out through a lot of trials and a ton of error.”
Walking into Zweig’s classroom, you’ll see a buzzing communal space filled with color. Students will eagerly get to work, although the bell hasn’t even rung yet. You’ll notice plants adorning the back wall and a space overflowing with life. “I want to give students a way to be proud of what they do so they want to keep going, to create things, to be able to go to an art museum and have an intelligent conversation about a work of art that they see and to learn a little bit about who they are,” Zweig exclaimed when asked what his goals are for students. To reach these goals, he uses an artist-teacher style of education where he creates projects alongside the students. He asks them questions about his artistic problems and considers their opinions as he works. “What this does is show the students that I trust them and their opinions. I have a lot to learn from them too,” Zweig explained. Not only does he learn from his students, but they learn from each other, “I try to give the students a chance to enable each other, like often if a student comes to me with a procedural question I will immediately throw it on a student who I’ve seen and know they know how to do it,” he commented. Unlike other classes, where there might be direct instructions a student has to follow, Zweig tries to give his students a lot of freedom in their projects. Students will learn basic concepts, but how they show Zweig they understand these concepts is up to them. “Now there are a myriad of options in front of them and choosing one to do in a school classroom takes courage. Art takes courage,” Zweig explained. When Zweig first came to Carrillo, he aspired to have his studio be an inspiring communal space, “ I wanted to have a thriving, functioning, buzzing art studio, just a living organism of creativity,” he stated. And to anyone who looks, it’s clear that he has succeeded.
Furthermore, Zweig’s positive attitude adds to the welcoming environment. “He is one of the most genuine teachers I’ve had. He treats people with respect and is really fun to be around,” Alli Krilich, a third-year ceramics student, stated. And she is not the only one who feels this way as another one of his students, Annabelle Demarest commented, “He is creative, kind and genuine. He cares a lot about his students and is an amazing ceramics artist himself.” Zweig’s kind attitude and creative energy inspire students to learn and grow in his class. Many of his students have never tried ceramics before and have learned so much from his teaching. “It’s really cool to see how much you can improve in a year or even a semester,” Demarest exclaimed. Students can learn skills in a way that still gives them the freedom to be creative. “He does a really good job guiding students and giving them techniques to try but he still lets them be independent,” Krilich explained. With such a comforting environment and amazing teacher, it's no wonder ceramics is so beloved. “Ceramics is a relaxing and creative class that's a great addition to your schedule,” Demarest stated, and Krilich agreed, “It's been my favorite class all three years I've taken it.”
From someone who didn’t know the first thing about pottery to a teacher who has taught himself how to throw on the wheel and is now selling his work and his students' work as a creative way of funding the program – it is clear Zweig has come a long way. “I am proud of my projects. I am proud of my progress,” Zweig commented. And he is not the only one learning. By taking his class, students learn about ceramics, but they also learn about themselves. “Art teaches you about yourself because what you make speaks to who you are,” Zweig explained.
Furthermore, the memories and art you make in his class will last you a lifetime. “I have students that come back saying “I still have that box I made in your class 20 years ago I still use it for my car keys every day.” And that means a lot to me,” Zweig said. Carrillo is blessed to have such a lively and inspiring ceramics studio at its campus and is even more blessed to have a ceramics teacher who is as passionate as Zweig, as he stated, “it's the single greatest job in the world.”