In early March, 120 fifth graders from Joe Walker Elementary and Claysville Elementary in McGuffey School District visited the Energy Innovation Center (EIC) in Pittsburgh's historic Hill District for a full field trip and immersive educational experience at the Patterns of Meaning gallery and workshop.
The visit included a tour of the EIC, the former Connelley Vocational School, and two hands-on workshops with Patterns of Meaning artists. Students left with original work they made themselves.
An Integrated Approach to Hands-On Learning
A scratch mold and aluminum casting workshop was designed to connect directly with what McGuffey fifth graders were already studying in science class: the life cycle of butterflies. Students sketched their designs, transferred them into scratch molds provided by Rivers of Steel, and worked with Patterns of Meaning founder Cory Bonnet and artist Nate Lucas to cast three-dimensional relief sculptures in aluminum.
Working with artists Mia Tarducci and Brian Engel, students also completed a positive and negative space workshop, creating dynamic two-dimensional compositions while applying math and measurement principles hands-on.
Both workshops ask students the same underlying question: how does an idea become a physical thing? That question is at the heart of every industrial process in casting, forging, and manufacturing, and students worked through the answer themselves, in two different ways, in a single day.
The Energy Innovation Center as Classroom
The field trip also included a tour of the Energy Innovation Center itself, the former Connelley Vocational School, a building with its own deep connection to the history of skilled trades education in Pittsburgh. Students aren't just visiting an art gallery. They're walking through a building that was built to train people for exactly the kinds of careers Patterns of Meaning is working to introduce them to.
Bring Patterns of Meaning to Your School
McGuffey is now in its second round of programming with Patterns of Meaning, having started with in-class presentations in fall 2025. The field trip was a natural continuation of that relationship, and the curriculum was shaped specifically to connect with what McGuffey teachers were already doing in the classroom.
This customization is available to any school that partners with the program. Patterns of Meaning works with teachers and administrators ahead of every visit to understand what students are studying and how the workshops can reinforce it. The result is programming that fits into what's already there, rather than asking teachers to set aside their curriculum to make room for something new.
In July 2025, Patterns of Meaning was contracted by METAL for America, a nonprofit focused on workforce development in the casting and forging industries, as part of a broader effort to introduce K-12 students to these career paths early through arts-integrated experiences.
If you are an educator or administrator interested in bringing this program to your school, visit patternsofmeaning.org or use the inquiry form to get in touch.