Ortiz, Virgil

“Clay is the core of my creations,” Virgil says. “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.”

Virgil Ortiz was born into the Oak Clan of Cochiti Pueblo in May 1969. His parents were Seferina Ortiz and Guadalupe Ortiz. His maternal grandmother was Laurencita Herrera.

Both Seferina and Laurencita were well-known potters. Virgil grew up watching them work with clay. During those years, Virgil’s mother taught him and all six of his siblings how to find and process the clay. She taught them how to find and prepare the native plants used in the making and decorating of Cochiti Pueblo pottery. She taught them how to work the clay, create different shapes and forms, paint designs and ground fire their pieces when they were done. She also taught them all the prayers to be uttered and rituals to be performed as they went through each aspect of the process.

Virgil became interested at an early age, making his first storyteller when he was only 6. He went from that to Santa Fe Indian Market where his first entry to the jury earned him a First Place award (Student, 18 years or younger) in 1983. He was 14. He earned ribbons almost every year until he stopped showing at Santa Fe Indian Market in 2001. He’s been back since, earning the First Place ribbon for figures at the 2019 Santa Fe Indian Market.

Virgil likes to make everything from traditional jars to tattooed circus, science fiction and historical figures. The forms he draws on range from circus performers to opera divas to religious figures to the Conquistadors.

The designs he likes to paint are also a mix of traditional and non-traditional, integrating Pueblo history and culture with apocalyptic themes, science fiction and stories of his own.

In 2017, Virgil provided 31 figures for a solo exhibit at the Denver Art Museum called “Revolt 1680/2180: Virgil Ortiz.” It was the high point of his story line relating to the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the first true American Revolution. In 1680, after decades of religious persecution and physical abuse the Pueblo people rose up and threw the Spanish out of New Mexico.

Virgil’s artistic interests have also branched well beyond the world of pottery into designing textiles, fashions and jewelry, fashion photography and video production. Virgil also lately created a series of figures that became 3D models for an animated Disney feature film.

Exhibits that have featured works by Virgil

  • Behind the Mask: Indigenous Artists Speak Out. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. Ongoing Exhibit October 2020
  • Virgil Ortiz: Revolution – Rise Against the Invasion. Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. Colorado Springs, Colorado. October 6, 2018 – January 6, 2019
  • Virgil Ortiz Jewelry. King Galleries. Santa Fe, New Mexico. August 15-20, 2017
  • Virgil Ortiz: Taboo, New Works in Clay. King Galleries. Santa Fe, New Mexico. July 21, 2017 – August 11, 2017
  • Virgil Ortiz: Taboo, New Works in Clay. King Galleries. Scottsdale, Arizona. Opened April 20, 2017
  • Beauty Speaks for Us. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. February 10, 2017 – March 31, 2017
  • An Evening Redness in the West. Museum of Contemporary Native Arts. Santa Fe, New Mexico. August 21, 2015 – December 31, 2015
  • Super Heroes: Art! Action! Adventure! Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. May 16, 2015 – August 23, 2015
  • American Indian Fashion: From Lloyd Kiva New to Now. Heard Museum North. Scottsdale, AZ. November 21, 2013 – April 30, 2014
  • That’s The Way I Like It. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. April 26, 2014 – Februyary 8, 2015
  • Pop! Popular Culture in American Indian Art. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. April 16, 2010 – April 10, 2011
  • Choices and Change: American Indian Artists in the Southwest. Heard Museum North. Scottsdale, AZ. June 30, 2007 – April 30, 2014
  • Sole Stories: American Indian Footwear. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. October 21, 2006 – October 20, 2007
  • Gifts to Celebrate. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. October 8, 2005 – July 30, 2006
  • Home: Native People in the Southwest. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. 2005
  • Virgil Ortiz: La Renaissance Indigene. Heard Museum. Phoenix AZ. October 2004 – June 5, 2005
  • Blue Rain Gallery 2000. Blue Rain Gallery. Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA. March 24, 2000 – March 26, 2000
  • Earth, Hands, Life: Southwestern Ceramic Figures. Heard Museum. Phoenix, Arizona. April 1988 – April 1989

Some Awards Earned by Virgil

  • 2018 Santa Fe Indian Market, Classification II – Pottery, Division B – Traditional Painted Pottery, Category 605 – Figures/Manas: First Place
  • 2017 Santa Fe Indian Market: Classification II – Pottery, Division B – Traditional, Category 603 – Painted polychrome pottery in the style of Cochiti, Santo Domingo, Santa Clara, San Ildefonso, Tesuque, Nambe, San Juan, Pojaque, any form: Second Place
  • 2007 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, Classification II – Pottery, Division D – Traditional, Native Clay, Hand Built, Figurative: Second Place
  • 2006 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. Heard Museum. Phoenix, AZ. Class. VI – Textiles/weavings/clothing, Div. E – Non-traditional attire woven or sewn, Honorable Mention; Two Judge’s Choice Awards
  • 2005 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market, Classification VIII – Pottery, Division C – Traditional/Native Clay/Hand-Built/Figurative: Best of Division. Awarded for figurative work which is untitled
  • 2005 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market: Judge’s Choice Award. Awarded by judge Peter Held for figurative work which is untitled
  • 2005 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market Signature Artist
  • 2004 Santa Fe Indian Market. Santa Fe, NM. Class. II – Pottery, Div. E -Traditional pottery, jars, including wedding jars, Best of Division
    – Cat. 1204 – Jars, Santo Domingo or Cochiti, First Place
  • 2004 Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ. Class. VIII – Pottery, Div. C – Traditional/native clay/hand-built/figurative, Honorable Mention
  • 1993 Santa Fe Indian Market. Santa Fe, NM. Class. II – Pottery, Div. G – Traditional pottery/painted designs on matte or semi-matte surface, all forms except jars, Cat. 1408 – Storytellers (all one piece), First Place
  • 1992 Santa Fe Indian Market. Santa Fe, NM. Class. II – Pottery, Div. G – Traditional pottery/painted designs on matte or semi-matte surface, all forms except jars, Cat. 1411 – Other figures (all one piece), First Place
  • 1991 Santa Fe Indian Market. Santa Fe, NM. Class. II – Pottery, Div. G – Traditional pottery/painted designs on matte or semi-matte surface, all forms except jars, Cat. 1408 – Storytellers (all one piece), Third Place
    – Cat. 1411 – Other figures (all one piece), Third Place
    – Class. III – Paintings, drawings and graphics; Div. D – Drawings, Cat. 2102 – Realistic style, First Place
  • 1990 Santa Fe Indian Market. Santa Fe, NM. Class. II – Pottery, Div. G – Traditional pottery, painted designs on matte or semi-matte, all forms but jars, Cat. 1216 – Other figures (all one piece), First Place
    – Cat. 1213 – Storytellers (all one piece), First Place
  • 1989 Santa Fe Indian Market. Santa Fe, NM. Class. III – Paintings, drawings and graphics, Div. B – Painting-two dimensional, non-southwest style, Cat. 1707, Drawings, First Place
  • 1983 Santa Fe Indian Market. Santa Fe, NM. Class. VI – (18 yrs. and under), Div. A – Ages 13 through 18, First Place
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