Thursday, March 25, 2021
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Lecture by Virgil Ortiz, Cochiti Pueblo Artist
Free and open to the public | Suggested $10 donation for Not-Yet-Members
Location: Zoom | Register to receive link
Lecture Description
Virgil Ortiz has masterfully redefined what it means to be a contemporary Native American artist navigating the global art world while staying connected to his artistic Pueblo traditions. Ortiz’s epic retelling of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt unfolds bit by bit, illustrating past and present-day social issues. The conversation and showroom tour will explore Ortiz’s work, creative process, and innovative artistic style.
About Virgil Ortiz
Virgil Ortiz moves into a new era combining art, décor, fashion, video and film. One of the most innovative potters of his time, Ortiz’s exquisite works are exhibited in museum collections around the world including Stedelijk Museum-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands; Paris’s Fondation Cartier pour I’art Contemporain; the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian; the Virginia Museum of Fine Art; and the Denver Art Museum.
Ever since Ortiz first began making pottery as a child and creating fashions for friends and family, he’s consistently worked an elegant, stylized turkey-track X into each of his pieces. The symbol can be regarded as a sort of artist’s seal — but there’s a deeper, more enigmatic, meaning too. “In the Cochiti culture, those birds are noted for moving around so energetically and unpredictable that they’re almost impossible to nab,” he explains. “So, the turkey track’s a reminder to myself to constantly keep everyone guessing about my next designs, to keep everything surprising, groundbreaking.”
Although Ortiz has projects in varying mediums — including a new collection of lithographs created at Tamarind Institute earlier this year — Ortiz is first and foremost a potter. Ortiz says, “Clay is the core of all my creations. My work centers on preserving traditional Cochiti culture and art forms. It’s important to recognize that Pueblo communities are very much alive and have a level of vitality that speaks to generations of strength, persistence, brilliance and thriving energy.”
Lecture by Virgil Ortiz, Cochiti Pueblo Artist
Free and open to the public | Suggested $10 donation for Not-Yet-Members
Location: Zoom | Register to receive link
Lecture Description
Virgil Ortiz has masterfully redefined what it means to be a contemporary Native American artist navigating the global art world while staying connected to his artistic Pueblo traditions. Ortiz’s epic retelling of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt unfolds bit by bit, illustrating past and present-day social issues. The conversation and showroom tour will explore Ortiz’s work, creative process, and innovative artistic style.
About Virgil Ortiz
Virgil Ortiz moves into a new era combining art, décor, fashion, video and film. One of the most innovative potters of his time, Ortiz’s exquisite works are exhibited in museum collections around the world including Stedelijk Museum-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands; Paris’s Fondation Cartier pour I’art Contemporain; the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian; the Virginia Museum of Fine Art; and the Denver Art Museum.
Ever since Ortiz first began making pottery as a child and creating fashions for friends and family, he’s consistently worked an elegant, stylized turkey-track X into each of his pieces. The symbol can be regarded as a sort of artist’s seal — but there’s a deeper, more enigmatic, meaning too. “In the Cochiti culture, those birds are noted for moving around so energetically and unpredictable that they’re almost impossible to nab,” he explains. “So, the turkey track’s a reminder to myself to constantly keep everyone guessing about my next designs, to keep everything surprising, groundbreaking.”
Although Ortiz has projects in varying mediums — including a new collection of lithographs created at Tamarind Institute earlier this year — Ortiz is first and foremost a potter. Ortiz says, “Clay is the core of all my creations. My work centers on preserving traditional Cochiti culture and art forms. It’s important to recognize that Pueblo communities are very much alive and have a level of vitality that speaks to generations of strength, persistence, brilliance and thriving energy.”