Ohio Stoneware Plant Manager Chuck Flowers introduces participants to the ceramic manufacturing process, with Nathan McIlwaine, CGIF Program Manager, facilitating the virtual field trip.
Ceramics are part of daily life, yet most people never stop to think about how they are made. To mark the inaugural International Day of Ceramics on March 12, CGIF partnered with Ohio Stoneware in Zanesville, Ohio to bring that process into classrooms and communities around the world through a live virtual field trip. Participants followed the production process from start to finish, with science woven into each stage along the way. Rather than simply showing how pottery is made, the tour was designed to help students see the connection between material properties and the manufacturing decisions behind every finished piece.
The pug mill processes and extrudes the clay used to create greenware.
Chuck Flowers, Plant Manager at Ohio Stoneware, guided participants through the facility, walking through each stage of production: how the clay body is prepared, slip casting where liquid clay is poured into molds, the drying process, and finally glazing and finishing. Along the way, Chuck highlighted the variety of roles that keep the facility running, from production floor positions to quality control to the ceramic engineers that design the process. Events like this help students connect classroom learning to real-world careers by showing them the people, processes, and workplaces that make up the ceramics industry, giving them a clearer picture of how their education can lead to opportunities in the field. The event reached 333 classrooms and more than 4,400 registered students across the United States, Canada, and Japan, with participants ranging from kindergarten through college. Homeschool families and a senior adult care facility were among those who joined. Nearly all classroom teachers who completed the post-event survey said the program connected to their curriculum standards, and the vast majority said they would recommend it to a colleague. A college-level participant captured the spirit of the tour well: “Learning how everything was made, and how hands-on it all is, was fantastic. I only wish I could have been there in person.” At the senior adult care facility, the tour sparked its own kind of connection, with participants reminiscing about the stoneware crocks they had owned, finding personal meaning in what they saw on screen.
Hand-painted mugs and dog bowls line the shelves as they dry before being prepared for sale.
The Ohio Stoneware virtual field trip is one of several ways CGIF works to make materials science visible and accessible to learners of all ages. By bringing a real manufacturing environment into the classroom, the program helped participants connect everyday ceramic products to the science, engineering, and skilled workforce behind them. As we celebrated the inaugural International Day of Ceramics, Ohio Stoneware provided an ideal example of how ceramic materials shape our daily lives and how the people who design and manufacture these products carry forward a long tradition of ceramics manufacturing in Ohio. From minerals in the earth to products used every day, the tour showcased the utility, craftsmanship, and enduring value of ceramics, along with the skilled workforce that makes them possible. The recording of the Ohio Stoneware virtual field trip is available to watch and share at: https://youtube.com/live/AwFptu-ENUU.
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