Article by:
Kathryn Weller-Renfrow
Executive Director
Arts Benicia

I knew he was special, from his reaction when the ceramic sculpture, an intricate head of Medusa that he had spent many hours on, was accidentally broken at The Next Generation exhibit at Arts Benicia. There were no recriminations, barely any disappointment expressed, only concern that we wouldn't feel too badly about it. Wow, I thought, most kids would be heartbroken, feeling that they had unfairly lost something precious and irreplaceable. But the thing was, Derek was an artist already - he knew without a doubt that he would make a lot more art and that was what was important. He was 14. Derek's parents, Victoria and Peter Weisberg, were remarkably supportive of his artistic gifts, and he had been mentored by ceramicist Katrina Van Male at her Benicia Studio since he was 7 years old.

On January 11th, 2006, Derek installed his sculpture, "The Loneliness of a King", to represent Benicia at the new Solano County Government Center in Fairfield. The selection of Derek Weisberg, a near-native Benician (since age 4), to contribute the first piece, was significant. Weisberg has in many ways undertaken the artistic lineage of another Benicia native, Robert Arneson, (1930-1992), whose breakthrough work in ceramic sculpture put the medium, and to a certain extent the city of Benicia, on the map in the art world in the 1970's. Arneson was well on his way to developing his strong artist's voice in the 1950's here at Benicia High School, where he created highly original work as cartoonist for the school paper, before setting out to create his important legacy of ceramic figurative sculpture and achieve international recognition as an artist. Weisberg also wielded considerable artistic influence at BHS, where he graduated in 2001. He founded the Art Club there, while boldly experimenting with the largest ceramic work that would fit in the kilns at the school and at Van Male's studio. He attended the prestigious California State Summer School for the Arts between his junior and senior years, which essentially sealed his fate.

In 2005 Weisberg received his BFA in ceramics from the California College of Arts in Oakland (Arneson's alma mater also) and is well on his way to achieving a successful career as an artist in the medium that Arneson controversially chose in the 50's when it wasn't even fully recognized as a fine arts medium. While at CCA, Weisberg developed a strong body of figurative work based on Hip Hop culture and the multifarious characters he encountered in the urban environment. He also somehow managed to find time in his senior year to co-found, with fellow student Matt Simpson, the Boontling Gallery in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood, where the two curate shows of up and coming artists with a fresh, community based approach.

Like much of Arneson's work, Weisberg's work is edgily, unabashedly emotive, serving to stir the viewer to react strongly in consideration of real and present states of affairs: personal, political, cultural. Derek considers the human condition through his personal feelings, presenting it back to us as a confrontation with slightly "other" characters: street people, disaffected kids, eccentric types we avoid making eye contact with. "My goal", he says, "is to create work which causes an immediate, powerful, and deep relationship with the viewer. I look to my gut, heart, and intuition to create my work, based on my life experiences. My pieces are psychological and emotional self-portraits."

The placement of artwork outside the County Board of Supervisors Chamber strikes me as an ideal venue, particularly for work such as Weisberg's "The Loneliness of a King". The work juxtaposes the idea of the remoteness of kingly power with the wordless despondency of the old/young kid in the big shoes on his found-object throne. Should our governmental decision makers spend some time considering the concepts suggested by this young artist's work, it would be a very good thing.

Derek's info: www.derekweisberg.com