Virgil Ortiz

The year is 2180. The Recon Watchmen, time-traveling warriors, scour the desert in full combat gear. Their mission: safeguarding the past, present, and future of the New Mexico Pueblos and ensuring their survival against the threat of oppressive invasion. The Watchmen realize that the challenges will only continue, so protecting clay, culture, language, and traditions from extinction is imperative to preserve them for the next generations — the Gliders, future iterations of Runners Omtua and Catua, are their foremost reconnaissance team. In Revolt 1680/2180: Runners + Gliders, I bring clay and tradition to meet cutting-edge technology, joining history with the future.

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Virgil Ortiz |Biography

With a career spanning four decades, Virgil Ortiz's artistry extends across various media and boundaries—challenging societal expectations and breaking taboos. One of the most innovative potters of his time, Ortiz's works are exhibited in museum collections around the globe, including the Stedelijk Museum- Hertogenbosch, Fondation Cartier pour I'art contemporain, Smithsonian Institution, Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Minneapolis Museum of Art, Denver Art Museum, and now at the History Colorado Center.

Ortiz fuses his Pueblo culture with sci-fi, fantasy, and apocalyptic themes, yielding thought-provoking and futuristic imagery while shaping the fantastical world he's creating with clay and multimedia art. Ortiz teaches Pueblo history to multiple generations of viewers worldwide, telling the story of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt by introducing a cast of superheroes he's created over the years through a series of works, including jars, busts, and now live actors portraying the characters in the story. The Blind Archers, Venutian Soldiers, Translator Army, Recon Watchmen, Runners & Gliders—together, they depict a dystopian future 500 years after the Pueblo Revolt, in which time travelers return to the era of the revolt to gather songs, ceremonies, designs, shards of pottery, and culture to preserve and transport to the future.

The events of the Pueblo Revolt are little known among most Americans today; however, it is a vital and pivotal era of New Mexico's history. Ortiz's mission continues to create global awareness that Pueblo communities are alive and have a level of vitality that speaks to generations of strength, persistence, brilliance, and thriving energy.

Website & social media:
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