appointment as a tribal officer, which included performing certain duties as an officer of the church that he came to see as settling his feelings of ‘hostility’ to the church. The lesson he learned during that time was the “the value of daily prayer and forgiveness” which in turn allowed him to understand there is “a value in
being yourself, in believing in what you are doing.”7
However, this engagement with the Church did not stop Ortiz from addressing issues and scandals within the Church. Figures started appearing of priestly figures who wore fishnet stockings and high heels, nuns holding a finger up to their lips. This work expanded into an exploration of the relationship between religion and the Pueblo Revolt, through a category titled “Saints & Sinners.” Figures created included the Naughty Nun (2003), which when turned around showed an open dress revealing fishnet stockings and high heels; the Virgin of
Guadalupe (2005), in traditional manner but created with a pueblo-type features; St. Michael (2005), wearing a mask and carrying a silver spear. There was also a series of face pots, each, very contemporary, which played upon the theme of sex and love. In contrast, by also using images of Catholic saints and nightclub bondage scenes, the question was raised as to who is a saint and who is a sinner?
Further observing Ortiz and the objects he produced confirms the fact that time and experience inform practice. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Virgil was also traveling and becoming an active participant in the underground club scenes in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. These experiences opened the door for observing an infinite variety of human behavior, including some forbidden and erotic. And most naturally, questions around identity, norms, difference, acceptance, and respect were not only raised but found
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