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This was the year Cochiti Pueblo artist Virgil Ortiz embarked on his two biggest projects to date. In February, sa国际传媒官网网页入口 International Sunport officials announced that Ortiz had been chosen for a major commission at the airport 鈥� a 16-foot-tall steel sculpture, titled 鈥淧o鈥檖ay, Leader of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt.鈥� Then, in October, Ortiz brought his artistic vision to the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 International Balloon Fiesta in the form of a seven-story hot air balloon, 鈥淩evolt Rising.鈥�

鈥淭he Sunport project is very exciting,鈥� Ortiz said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never entered any contest or anything like that, but my friends pushed me to do it, and 鈥� lo and behold 鈥� I got chosen. I鈥檓 very thankful for it.鈥�

Ortiz felt it was important to bring Pueblo history to the Sunport.

鈥淓verybody who comes to New Mexico (by plane) comes through the Sunport,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 want them to really acknowledge whose land we鈥檙e on, and it鈥檚 Pueblo land. So, my sculpture is titled 鈥楶o鈥檖ay, Leader of the Pueblo Revolt.鈥� Without him, none of the Pueblo people would be here.鈥�

Ortiz said he has dedicated his life to educating people about the Pueblo Revolt, which he does using traditional materials like hand-harvested clay, as well as digital media, fashion and 鈥� most recently 鈥� a hot air balloon.

鈥淚鈥檓 always looking for different venues that are different from the ones I normally work in, such as museums or galleries,鈥� Ortiz said. 鈥淏ut now to have my art at Balloon Fiesta, put a whole different set of eyes on it that have never looked at my art work before 鈥� the clay works that I鈥檓 normally known for 鈥� so that was quite exciting.鈥�

Born into the prominent Herrera family of Pueblo potters, Ortiz grew up on Cochiti Pueblo, where he still lives, learning nonfigurative pottery traditions from his relatives. Around the age of 16, though, his style began to change, influenced, in part, by science fiction films.

鈥淚 started to create different imaginary characters out of clay,鈥� he said.

An sa国际传媒官网网页入口-based dealer in Indigenous art, Robert Gallegos, who was a family friend, became very interested in these new pieces and asked Ortiz鈥檚 parents, 鈥淲ho鈥檚 teaching this kid how to do all these different types of figurative pottery?鈥�

鈥淢y parents told him, 鈥楬e鈥檚 just experimenting, but we鈥檙e supporting him as long as he鈥檚 working with the traditional clay,鈥欌�� Ortiz said.

So, Gallegos invited the teenage Ortiz and his parents to his sa国际传媒官网网页入口 gallery.

鈥淎ll of us were blown away, because when we stepped into the showroom, he had the largest collection of historic Cochiti figurative pottery that we鈥檝e ever seen, and they were all from the 1800s, and all of my pieces that I was experimenting with looked exactly identical to them. It was wild,鈥� Ortiz said. 鈥淪o, my parents, when we caught our breath, took me outside and just said, 鈥楻emember this day, because this is something we didn鈥檛 teach you. We didn鈥檛 know about them. Remember this day. It鈥檚 special. It鈥檚 the Clay Mother talking to you, and through you, teaching something that we couldn鈥檛 teach you.'鈥�

That experience gave Ortiz the confidence to continue making imaginative, figurative ceramic pieces, confirming for him that he was still part of an ancestral tradition. Over the years, Ortiz has developed a complex iconography combining Pueblo history, mythology and Indigenous futurism.

鈥淭he pieces from the 1800s 鈥� were all based on social commentary. What the Cochiti people were doing was making characters or figures of all the non-Indigenous people who were coming into our area via the newly laid railroads 鈥� So, you see examples of opera figures 鈥� and circus sideshow figures, like half-man, half-animal or tattooed bodies or conjoined twins,鈥� Ortiz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of cool, because that leaves the door wide open for me, and I鈥檓 following in their footsteps. 鈥� I comment on politics, on the LGBTQ community 鈥� everything is free game. I use the clay how our ancestors did to educate everybody on what they鈥檙e looking at.鈥�

The educational component is important to Ortiz, who said Pueblo history is rarely taught in schools in the United States. By making more public art, he hopes to increase awareness about Pueblo history, as well as to get people talking about the future of Pueblo civilization.

鈥淲hen I鈥檓 doing shows in Europe, or even Australia, the public knows what my work is about. They understand our history more than Americans do,鈥� Ortiz said.

The Sunport commission, which is still a work-in-progress, will be installed in the security section of the airport, allowing the artist to confront visitors with New Mexican history in a playful way.

鈥淚 always giggle, because he鈥檚 the leader of the Pueblo Revolt, and he鈥檚 welcoming the public to the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 area, and to New Mexico, and he鈥檚 going to be installed in the security area,鈥� Ortiz said. 鈥淚 was telling my friends, he鈥檚 going to be looking at everybody and telling them, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e an immigrant. You鈥檙e an immigrant. You鈥檙e an immigrant.鈥� But that鈥檚 just the truth. And that鈥檚 what my art is all about 鈥� asking the public to acknowledge who we are as a people, and that we鈥檙e still here, living, thriving and creating.鈥�