For nearly three decades, the ceramics studio at Andover echoed with the steady rhythm of spinning wheels, the soft thud of clay, and the warm guidance of Samuel Thayer Zaeder ’83. This spring, Zaeder retires from his role as a ceramics instructor, leaving behind a legacy of mentorship shaped by patience, curiosity, and quiet care.
An Andover alum, Zaeder’s relationship with the school spans most of his life. His contributions to its artistic landscape have defined a generation of student creativity and community in the studio. Zaeder first returned to Andover in 1987 as a one-year teaching fellow, after graduating in 1983 while both his parents were faculty members. He would spend over a decade away, earning a master’s degree and building a career as an independent ceramic artist, before returning full-time in 1999.
“Teaching fellows were typically one-year appointments, and so that was it. It was really like a chance to fully immerse myself in teaching and see if that was a career path I was interested in following. I had a good sense of the tremendous resources and the excellence at Andover, so it was an appealing place to come back to,” said Zaeder.
At the center of his teaching was the course “Clay and the Ancestral Pot,” which led students into the woods to dig raw clay by hand. Over the years, that practice evolved into a joyful, studio-based curriculum grounded in experimentation and discovery.
“One of the things that survives antiquity is clay… Ceramics is a very durable material. That fueled my curiosity about where it comes from and what the local sources are. But mostly, students just want to come in, make stuff, and have fun. I slip in a little intellectual weight here and there, but mostly we… have fun. We make stuff,” said Zaeder.
Zaeder’s work extended far beyond the studio. For 15 years, he lived in Bishop Hall as a house counselor, sharing daily life with students and witnessing firsthand the complexity of their schedules and challenges.
“Once I saw the level of commitment that students had, their plates full, it helped round out my perspective. If you teach students in a vacuum, you don’t get the full picture you get when you live with them. That understanding influenced everything from assignment timing to project scope,” said Zaeder.
Zaeder also coached the All-Gender Cycling team for nearly two decades. He saw the trust built on long rides and steep climbs as another avenue for meaningful mentorship.
“Good teachers not only pass on content and knowledge but build close connections. The same goes for athletics: there’s mentorship happening on the trail. Watching committed athletes deepened my respect for their time-management and dedication on top of everything else they’re doing,” said Zaeder.
As department chair during the onset of Covid-19, Zaeder provided steady leadership through emergency hires, faculty transitions, and curriculum adaptations. His long institutional memory proved vital in preserving continuity.
“I was the only one with long-term institutional knowledge at a time of rapid change. Providing steady leadership during that turmoil was very beneficial to the school and to the department in particular,” said Zaeder.
Colleagues recognized Zaeder’s thoughtful leadership and commitment to depth over breadth. His approach offered a calm, intentional contrast within a school culture that often values high achievement above all else.
“He’s got a light touch, both as a kind of, figuratively speaking, a faculty colleague, but then also as a teacher. He would never accuse anyone of having an art emergency. So that kind of a gentle approach is the kind of thing that can sometimes feel unusual at a place that emphasizes excellence so much, right? It seems as though earlier in his career, according to him, he’s told me, he’s tried to do a lot in ten weeks. But now he’s emphasized doing fewer things well and kind of slowing down,” said Membreno-Canales.
Students, too, felt the impact of Zaeder’s presence. In his final term, Byron Johnson ’25, who took “Clay and the Ancestral Pot,” found more than just technical instruction in Zaeder’s classroom.
“I thought he was a chill guy with great humor, but I saw how passionate he is about ceramics. Even in his final term, he taught us like it was a passion project, and I never felt it was just a job to him. He jokes, offers advice about art or life, and is always ready to help. His enthusiasm reignited my own love for art,” said Johnson.
Now, Zaeder is turning his attention back to his own work in a fully outfitted studio he built in Maine. There, he hopes to explore the creative impulses that fueled his teaching, this time, as a full-time artist.
“I hope it sparks curiosity at the form and surface, that they sense the wonder of how it was done… the creative impulse that drove every fingerprint and every careful trim. In that moment, they connect to every hand that shaped it, and the cycle of teaching and making continues,” said Zaeder.
