Sat Aug 5, 2023
2:00 - 4:00 pm

Please join Virgil Ortiz, multimedia artist in our auditorium, as he shares his memories of Indian Market and expounds on his artforms. Ortiz remembers his parents and grandparents showing at Indian Market, a prestigious and curated show bringing together celebrated artists — steeped in rich tradition and exceptional traditional art. Ortiz was 6 years old and sold his first piece of pottery. Fast forward to the present day — the future brings innovation: utilizing age-old methods and materials connects him to our ancestors and brings prayer and critical teachings. Tying together the past, present, and future has been instilled in him for as long as he can remember. Converging many mediums has taken flight, inviting the audience on a journey into the future and new heights. Ortiz explains, "None of it is my talent; it’s way bigger than me, and I am just a bead in a necklace."

Ortiz’s work is featured in the museum’s exhibition, “Honoring Tradition and Innovation: 100-Years of Santa Fe’s Indian Market 1922-2022” which commemorates 100 years of Indian Market. The exhibition runs through August 31, 2023, so be sure to visit the museum before it ends.

Seating is limited-bottled water only please.

Free with museum admission

Photo credit: Courtesy of Virgil Ortiz

About Virgil Ortiz

With a career spanning four decades, Virgil Ortiz’s artistry extends across various media and boundaries—challenging societal expectations and breaking taboos. Raised in a creative environment filled with storytelling, collecting clay, gathering wild plants, and producing figurative pottery, he remains influenced by his grandmother and mother, renowned Cochiti Pueblo potters. One of the most innovative potters of his time, Ortiz’s works are exhibited in museum collections worldwide, including the Stedelijk Museum- Hertogenbosch, Fondation Cartier pour I’art contemporain, Triennale Milano, Smithsonian Institution, Minneapolis Museum of Art, Colby Museum of Art, and now bringing Indigenous Futurism with Revolt 1680/2180: Runners + Gliders to Denver’s 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 remains 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.