Workshop: Clay Whistle - Make Your Own Ocarina

Workshop: Make An Ocarina

Workshop: $65 Per Person / Ages 18 and up
Instructor: Michelle Blumenthal

Discover the joy of shaping sound in this beginner-friendly workshop where you’ll make your very own functioning ceramic whistle — also known as an ocarina. Over two hours, you’ll shape, carve, and decorate a small sculptural instrument using foundational hand-building techniques. We’ll walk you through every step: from forming the whistle chamber and tuning it, to personalizing your piece with animal characters.

No experience with clay or music is necessary. Whether you’re making it for yourself or as a one-of-a-kind gift, this workshop offers a fun and surprising way to explore the intersection of art and sound. After class, we’ll glaze and fire your whistle in our kilns. You’ll be contacted when your finished piece is ready for pickup (approximately 3–4 weeks later), fully functional and ready to play.

Coming This Summer To McMinnville

Mac Clay is the first ceramic studio solely focused on classes, workshops and events in McMinnville. We believe in strengthening community by stoking conversations and deepening understanding of ceramic practice — whether wheel throwing technique, pinch pots, Instagram trends or pre-historic forms. Wherever you are on your ceramic journey, we will meet you at the place where curiosity, passion and technique find form.

Think of Mac Clay as a town square for all things ceramic. Whether you’re taking a multiweek class at our Downtown location, attending a weekend masterclass, or reserving space in the studio for the day, we exist to help you access the magic of clay creation. Our mission is to serve both the beginner and advanced studio potter in a safe, vibrant environment.

But there’s more: we don’t only make beautiful things; we explore new dimensions of ourselves and how we relate to each other. Mac Clay is honored to enter a conversation with the Yamhill County area. So follow along as we kick off a series of events that introduce ourselves while recentering a craft that developed lock-step with humanity itself.

804 SE 1st Street
McMinnville, OR 97128