Potter Virgil Ortiz will present the next Hixson-Lied Visiting Artist Lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 5:30 p.m. in Richards Hall Rm. 15. The lecture is free and open to the public.
The School of Art, Art History & Design’s Hixson-Lied Visiting Artist & Scholar Lecture Series brings notable artists, scholars and designers to Nebraska each semester to enhance the education of students.
One of the most innovative potters of his time, Ortiz moves Pueblo pottery into a new era combining art, décor, fashion, video, and film. Although Ortiz has projects in varying mediums—including a newly launched jewelry line for the Smithsonian—Ortiz is first and foremost a potter.
Ortiz keeps Cochiti pottery traditions alive, but transforms them into a contemporary vision that embraces his Pueblo history and culture and merges it with apocalyptic themes, science fiction, and his own storytelling.
Ortiz’s works have been exhibited in museum collections around the world, including in The Netherlands, France and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian.
Underwritten by the Hixson-Lied Endowment with additional support from other sources, the series enriches the culture of the state by providing a way for Nebraskans to interact with luminaries in the fields of art, art history and design. Each visiting artist or scholar spends one to three days on campus to meet with classes, participate in critiques and give demonstrations.