By the time he was eight, he was fascinated by Star Wars, producing clay figures like “Wookie” (1980s); in seventh grade, Ortiz and his friends had created their own, secret language in a script only they could read; by high school, Virgil was making his own clothes. Today, Ortiz is an internationally acclaimed ceramic artist, fashion designer, videographer.
Throughout time, it has been Cochiti and clay that has grounded Virgil, whether he was working as a traditional potter making vessels and figures or making models for fashion, video, or film: “The heart and soul of all my art is embedded within Cochiti Pueblo – our designs, our history, our clay, our families, and our culture.”4 And it is the arc of his life story and the story line of the Cochiti people, and his commitment to promoting his interest in the
Pueblo Revolt of 1860 (what he calls “America’s
First Revolution”),5 that informs the universe that Virgil Ortiz built.
The seriousness with which Virgil approaches
his responsibilities within the pueblo is revealed in an interesting story he tells. Apparently, in 2001, he was participating in a dance at Cochiti Pueblo, when during a break he was approached by his nephews who told
him some people were at his house looking for him. Ortiz asked who they were. They said they didn’t know because they were speaking in a foreign language. Virgil asked they simply request the people stay until he was finished dancing for the day, whereupon he would return to meet them at the house. Turns out, it was representatives from Fondation Cartier in Paris who were there to invite Ortiz to join other
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