Even at 91 years old, Tom Zaccheo is always willing to learn something new.

The artist, who brought his work to Franklin County last summer in the form of the “Flight of Fancy” mural featuring nine aluminum bird silhouettes on the side of the Greenfield Recorder’s 14 Hope St. building, is opening his next art exhibit, “Transformed by Fire: Feats of Clay,” in New Britain, Connecticut.

“I think if you’re going to live a complete life, you have to be a lifelong learner,” Zaccheo said. “I think some people fail to realize that and after they finish going to school they stop learning and that’s unfortunate. … I find that some people take my age as a negative, and that’s very upsetting to me because I think ageism is something rampant in our society and it doesn’t have a place here.”

Zaccheo often features birds in his art, as was the case with “Flight of Fancy” in Greenfield, to represent the concept of freedom. Along with the inclusion of birds, Zaccheo’s art consists of sculptures of flowers, various bowls, pots, plates and an assortment of other figures.

“I was looking for something that would give me some relaxation,” Zaccheo said about pursuing sculpting, emphasizing that sculpting makes him feel calm.

Zaccheo began ceramic artwork roughly 50 years ago during his time working as a physician. He has continued to pursue sculpting in retirement, expanding from ceramics and metalwork. He has been learning different art forms and methods by taking classes at Central Connecticut State University, where he is enrolled as a student.

“My ceramics I do because I enjoy the process — I enjoy the seal of the clay, I enjoy taking concepts and turning them into something concrete,” Zaccheo said. “I might think of the concept of freedom and so I make some birds because birds represent freedom to me. … I love nature, I love the outdoors, I sit on my patio and watch the birds sit at the feeder, I watch them fly around, and for me, that’s freedom.”

Although he was born in Hartford, Zaccheo moved with his family when he was young to Westfield following the Great Depression, growing up there through high school. Zaccheo emphasized his pride for his parents, who worked hard to create a life for their family following their journey to the U.S. from Italy.

For this reason, Zaccheo said he is most proud of his piece titled, “Bring me your tired, your poor ... yearning to breathe free,” a line taken from the poem, “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, which can be found at the base of the Statue of Liberty. The piece, depicting a boat, is mostly ceramic while integrating metal nails that serve as passengers. Zaccheo feels the nails are a good representation of immigrants’ steely resolve, honoring their journey to the United States, his parents included.

“I am trying to make it educational for those who come and educate them in the different facets of ceramics,” he said of his upcoming exhibit.

The exhibit will be showcasing roughly 150 pieces of art, taking place at the Central Art Gallery on the second floor of the Samuel S.T. Chen Fine Arts Center at Central Connecticut State University from Sept. 5 through Oct. 4. The address is 1615 Stanley St. in New Britain, Connecticut. At the moment, the gallery will be open on Mondays from 1 to 4 p.m. and Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. An opening reception will be held on Thursday, Sept. 5, from 4 to 7 p.m., with Zaccheo set to speak about his work at 4:30 p.m.

“You won’t know if you can’t do it until you start and try,” Zaccheo commented, offering advice to anyone who claims they are too old to learn something new. “I think that means, people who say they can’t do something new will just lead to failure. You have to try to know if you can or can’t do something, no matter if you can do it professionally or for your own enjoyment.”