Ancient Earth

Women’s Clay & Music Retreat

The Ancient Earth Women’s Retreat offers a deep journey into the creation of clay instruments, rooted in Mesoamerican traditions, and the art of musical expression — within a space that gently nurtures the natural unfolding of ancestral healing and women’s embodied wisdom.

Rhinebeck, New York

Join Waitlist for 2027 Dates

What We’ll Explore

A hand holding a small terracotta sculpture of a person with arms raised, situated in a garden with green plants and a stone wall in the background.

This retreat offers a rare opportunity to shape your own clay instruments using ancestral techniques rooted in the Mesoamerican tradition — exploring the deep connection between craftsmanship, music, and personal expression.

This space welcomes all levels: those new to clay instruments will be guided through the foundational forms of a whistle, ocarina, and flute, while experienced clay instrument makers are invited to expand into advanced anatomical instrument forms. All participants will learn ceramic instrument anatomy, create personalized pieces, and bring them home for firing at a local pottery studio.

At the heart of this experience is a sacred invitation to reconnect with the body through the grounding practices of clay and the expressive freedom of music. Each instrument becomes a reflection of personal transformation and the integration of earth wisdom.

On alternating evenings, we'll come together for music jams — a space to explore, play, and create music together through different instruments, voice, and sound.

To honor depth and connection, each retreat is limited to 12–14 participants, allowing space for one-on-one guidance and a strong, supportive creative community.

A young woman with long dark hair smiling, sitting on a beige bench near a window with a city view. She is wearing a brown t-shirt, large earrings, and layered necklaces, with green plants nearby.

The Guide of the Retreat

Vianney Lopez

A ceramic pot with a carved human face and large decorative earrings.
A wooden flute with blue decorative flower patterns painted on it, featuring a rectangular mouthpiece and visible finger holes.

※

Vianney is a skilled ceramicist, musician, and multidisciplinary artist whose work flows across many creative mediums. Her artistic journey is deeply rooted in her ancestral traditions of the Indigenous Americas & Carribean, with her creations carrying the wisdom of her cultures.

A vital part of Vianney’s path of instrument making has been her apprenticeship with maestro Guillermo Martinez, a traditional Native instrument maker who has shared teachings rooted in respect, lineage, and intention. With his blessing she continues to walk this path and share the ancestral craft of creating traditional instruments. Guillermo’s former teacher, Xavier Quijas Yxayotl, was part of the lineage of artists who contributed to the revival and continuation of Mesoamerican instruments, carrying forward knowledge that now lives through the hands of many.

For our Ceramic Instrument Workshop, Vianney will lead participants through the hands-on journey of sculpting sound, fostering a deeper connection to clay, creativity, and ancestral memory.

Terracotta sculpture of a smiling figure with closed eyes holding a flute, standing against a fabric background with orange geometric line patterns.
A small, handmade terracotta sculpture of a peaceful, smiling face with closed eyes, held in a person's hand against a blurred green background.

What is Included

✦ Transportation from and to Airport

✦ Ceramic Workshops & Materials

+ New to Clay Instruments: Creating a Whistle, Ocarina & Flute

+ Experienced with Clay Instruments: Options of creating Harmony or Drone Flutes, Double or Triple Ocarinas, Sound Masks, or Multi Instrument Sculptures.

✦ Evening Music Jams

with optional teaching sessions of the Native Flute

✦ Vegetarian Whole Food Meals

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

(Caters to Gluten, Dairy, Soy & Nut Allergies)

✦ Amenities:

Nature Walks

Daily Classes of Yoga, Meditation & Tai Chi

Kayaks | Canoes at the Lake

Tennis, Pickleball & Basketball Courts

✦ Retreat Tuition: $950 USD (Lodging not Included)

  • Monthly payment plans available, starting with a $100 deposit.

  • Estimated Total Cost (Retreat Tuition + Lodging):$1,535–$2,810 USD, depending on your preferred lodging option.


Full details will be shared after submitting your retreat application and receiving an acceptance notification.

A backyard pond with lily pads and pink water lilies, surrounded by greenery and a wooden house structure.

FAQ

  • The retreat is open to women of all skill levels who are interested in exploring ceramics, music, and creative expression. No prior experience is required.

  • For those new to Clay Instruments: Creating different beginning styles of Whistles, Ocarinas & Flutes

    For those experienced with Clay Instruments: Options of creating Harmony or Drone Flutes, Double or Triple Ocarinas, Sound Masks, or Multi Instrument Sculptures.

  • All standard materials for the ceramic workshops will be provided, including clay and tools. Participants will also create their own tools during the retreat. You are also more than welcome to bring your own tools as well if you feel called!

  • Yes! You are encouraged to take your creations home to fire them at your local pottery studio. I can also take them with me for a Firing & Shipping Fee.

  • Yes, once you book your spot, an email will be shared later in the year on the details of what to bring.

  • Yes of course! Feel free to bring the instruments you feel called to bring.

  • It is encouraged to take your pieces home and have them fired at a local pottery studio near you.

    However, I do offer an optional add-on: $30 per person for firing, plus shipping. This helps cover kiln time and the careful packing required to return your creations to you safely.

    If you’re local and prefer not to pay for shipping, a studio pick-up option is available.

    Please note: Clay pieces must fully dry before firing — usually 1.5 to 2 weeks — to help prevent cracks or explosions in the kiln.

Cancellation Policy for Retreat Tuition

60 days out - 50% of Total Refunded

60 day before: Non-Refundable

Tuition Payment can be transferred to a future retreat.

Cancellation Policy for Venue Lodging

  • Cancel 8+ days before: Refund minus $60 fee.

  • Cancel 1–7 days before: Credit for future Venue program minus $60 fee.

  • No refund or credit for same-day cancellation

Nighttime view of a lush green garden with small waterfalls flowing over moss-covered rocks, illuminated by subtle lighting, surrounded by dense tropical plants and pink flowers.

A Note on Lineage, Land, and Community

These retreats are rooted in the ancestral teachings of the Mesoamerican tradition. As a woman of Indigenous descent from the lands of Abya Yala (the Americas), I carry these traditional practices of the clay with permission and care, as they were passed on to me by my teacher.

This space is open to all women who feel a sincere call to create, remember, and connect — whether from a lineage of Abya Yala or another Ancestry—so long as the heart moves with respect and openness.

The land we gather on is sacred, carrying the presence of those who came before. For many, this connection awakens remembrance, grief, clarity, and empowerment. These retreats honor difference rather than bypass it, inviting understanding through creativity, intention, and deep listening.

Each woman brings her own story, her own medicine. Together, we shape clay, create music, and weave something greater than ourselves. This is not about perfection—it’s about showing up with honesty, curiosity, and humility.

My role is not to guide from above, but to walk beside you, offering what I can so we may remember something meaningful together.