Sculpting Sound—A Ceramic Ocarina & Wind Instrument Workshop

with Melissa Navarre

4-day, July 11–14, 3:00–6:00 p.m.

Tuition: $300

Materials Fee: $30

In this four-day workshop in Ox-Bow’s ceramics studio, students will learn the fundamentals of crafting functional ocarinas and other unique wind instruments. Participants will be guided through techniques in clay modeling, acoustics, and surface design to craft their own playable instrument. A final clear glaze may be applied to the work after the clay is dry and students will pick up their fired pieces from Ox-Bow at a future date.

Plan to bring: All materials will be provided but simple drawing supplies and a sketchbook are encouraged for drafting ideas.

Melissa Navarre (she/her) is a recent graduate of Central Michigan University (CMU), where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with a concentration in ceramics, along with a minor in music for percussion. She has assisted in The Ancient Future: Clay and Sound workshop, presented at CMU and Oxbow School of Art and Artist Residency. Her work has been exhibited at the University Art Gallery at CMU, and she has received awards including the 2023 Windgate Fellowship at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and the 2024 Regina Brown Undergraduate Fellowship through the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. Melissa is currently a studio assistant at Grayling Ceramics in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Photos taken by Israel Davis in The Ancient Future: Clay and Sound course at Ox-Bow in 2023.