New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Montclair Art Museum Presents Virgil Ortiz: Odyssey of the Venutian Soldiers

originally published: 08/14/2019


(MONTCLAIR, NJ) -- Virgil Ortiz: Odyssey of the Venutian Soldiers, a new exhibition at the Montclair Art Museum (MAM), showcases a striking light-infused wall mural and dramatic videos created by famed Pueblo artist, Virgil Ortiz. A number of Oritz’s exquisite ceramic vessels and figurines, on which the artist painted comic-book and sci-fi imagery that shows a heavy influence of contemporary art, are also on view. The exhibition is open at MAM September 14, 2019 through June 21, 2020. 

Through his work, the past and future come alive as Ortiz tells the story of the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, an important Native historical event, and blends it with a series of sci-fi fantasy stories that include a cast of imaginary characters. For the exhibition at MAM, Ortiz designed a mural that features a parade of Venutian Soldiers, sci-fi superheroes living in the year 2180 (500 years after the Pueblo Revolt) possessing extraordinary strength and magical powers. They are faced with the devastation of their environment by their enemies and march along wearing gas masks and oxygen tanks in search of a new homeland where they can preserve a traditional Pueblo way of life.

At the forefront of a contemporary era of Native art that is sweeping the country, Virgil Ortiz (b.1969), works in a wide variety of mediums: ceramics, graphic art, blown glass, painting, photography, multimedia, and high fashion. Born at Cochiti Pueblo, located between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico, Ortiz still lives and works in Cochiti. He hails from a celebrated family of potters, and was taught the art at a young age by his famed grandmother and mother. The family was involved in all the essential activities of pottery making: digging local clays, gathering wild spinach plants used for painting pottery with black designs, and Native outdoor firing techniques.

Ortiz continues the tradition of creating figurative pottery that had for some time died out. After years of experimentation, Ortiz has moved past his early static figures to those showing action. His figurative forms have also grown in size as he has learned how to create much larger ones that are stable and structurally sound.

Combining with his life-long passion for science fiction (he credits seeing Star Wars at an early age), his pottery figurines are players in his futuristic stories. His narrative transports visitors back more than 300 years to the 1680 Pueblo Revolt and then speeds forward through time to the year 2180. Ortiz introduces superhero characters such as the Venutian Soldiers, Tahu and her army of Blind Archers and Aeronauts, who all help the historical leaders of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt fight once again against the Castilian army. His work is very popular with younger audiences who share his love of fantasy characters, helping to build new supporters of the arts.




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info



“My mission of nearly two decades has been to create a narrative of the revolt utilizing the various mediums in which I work,” said Ortiz. “I want to make it interesting and relevant to the next generation. I want them to understand our history, how we survived genocide, and how our ancestors kept our art traditions and ceremonies intact.”

The exhibition’s presentation at the Montclair Art Museum is coordinated by Pamela Jardine, MAM guest curator. The Virgil Ortiz: Odyssey of the Venutian Soldiers exhibition is located in the Laurie Art Stairway and Rand Gallery.

1680 Pueblo Revolt: The History

By 1300 CE, ancestors of modern Pueblo Indians settled in approximately 80 independent pueblos—Spanish word for towns—scattered along the Rio Grande in present day New Mexico. They lived peacefully, except for sporadic raids of nomadic tribes, until Spanish conquerors and missionaries came in search of gold for the Spanish Crown and Native souls to convert to Christianity in the mid–1500s. Pueblos fought against these invaders but were overpowered by their military might. In 1598, Spaniards established their first colony and claimed authority over Native people.

Living under Spanish colonial rule, Pueblo people endured religious persecution, forced labor, extreme physical abuse, and loss of their lands. Finally, in 1680, when living conditions worsened due to a prolonged drought and famine, Pueblos launched the great Pueblo Revolt, a rebellion sometimes called the first American Revolution.

A charismatic Pueblo leader named Po’Pay devised a strategy to overthrow Spaniards with a surprise attack. Po’Pay enlisted the help of messengers who secretly carried ropes tied in recurring knots to pueblo leaders with instructions to untie a knot every day. The last knot signaled it was time for a united uprising.

Fierce fighting led to the deaths of hundreds of Spanish colonials. Among those killed were 20 Franciscan friars who were targeted for their role in religious persecution. For days, Pueblo rebels encircled Santa Fe, where survivors had sought refuge, until they allowed thousands of them to flee.






Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info



Related Programs

The Vance Wall Art Education Center at MAM will present a series of programs and art classes for all ages in conjunction with the special exhibition of Virgil Ortiz: Odyssey of the Venutian Soldiers.

MAM CONVERSATIONS: Virgil Ortiz and Mike Marino in Dialogue

5th Annual Gaelen Artist Lecture

Thursday, March 19, 7:30 pm

FREE for members / $15 nonmembers/ $5 students with ID

Gallery Interpretation: Character Cards

 

Family Day: Parent/Child Costume Making

Saturday, October 5, 2:00-4:00 pm




Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info



$60 members/ $80 nonmember

 

Art Class: Fab Lab, Future Worlds (ages 8-12)

Wednesdays, 4:00-5:00 pm, September 18 through November 20

$245 members/ $275 nonmembers

 

Art Class: Special Effects for Teens

Mondays, 4:30-6:30 pm, September 16 through November 18

$280 members/ $310 nonmembers

Visual effects enable filmmakers to create virtual worlds and fantastic stories that push the boundaries of imagination. From the surreal and the absurd to the fantastical and dreamlike, students develop and produce a series of original short films while putting into practice a set of foundational production tools such as green screen, masking, matte painting, compositing and other visual effects techniques.

 

Art Class: Illustration for Teens

Mondays, 4:30-6:00 pm, September 16 through November 18

$260 members/ $290 nonmembers

Bring your characters to life! This class will teach students how to create original illustrations using a variety of materials bring characters to life by gathering information about the human figure and anatomy from life drawing. 

 

Art Class: Introduction to Visual Effects for Adults

Wednesdays: 7:00-9:30 pm, September 18 through October 16

$150 members/ $170 nonmembers

This course offers an overview of the fundamentals of visual effects production for moving image works – videos, films, TV shows. Students explore the history and language of special effects through a series of hands-on projects. Achieve both practical and digital special effects, including basic jump cutting, masking, matting, chroma keying, compositing and motion graphics.






Promote your shows at New Jersey Stage! Click here for info



The Montclair Art Museum (MAM), located at 3 South Mountain Avenue in Montclair, boasts a renowned collection of American and Native American art that uniquely highlights art making in the United States over the last 300 years. The Vance Wall Art Education Center encompasses all the Museum’s educational efforts, including award-winning Yard School of Art studio classes, lectures and talks, family events, tours, and the mobile MAM Art Truck. MAM exhibitions and programs serve a wide public of all ages, from families and seniors to artists, educators, and scholars.

 

IMAGES: (Top) Virgil Ortiz (b. 1969) Southwest, Cochiti Pueblo Ceramic Figurine, Kade, Cacique of the Horseman Tribe, 2017 Cochiti clays, slips, wild spinach pigment 27 x 11 x 15 in. Museum purchase; Acquisition Fund 2018.8

(Bottom) Virgil Ortiz (b. 1969) Aeronaut Theatrical Costume, 2010 Leather, feathers, fur, and foam fabrication, satin (dress and gloves), synthetic hair, crushed aluminum glitter surface detail. Mannequin: fiberglass and resin Approx. 51 x 25 x 25 in. Courtesy of Virgil Ortiz



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Art

Art on Screen: The Danish Collector

Monday, July 14, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Monmouth University - Pollak Theatre
400 Cedar Avenue, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
category: art

Click here for full event listing

 

More events

Event Listings are available for $10 and included with our banner ad packages




 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Kirby

Kirby & Delia: "All Rise"

The murals in the Brennan Courthouse (583 Newark Avenue) aren't tough to decipher. There are pilgrims, there are patriots, and there is Hudson County history rendered in the boldest strokes. Look to the underside of the building's grand dome and you'll find signs of the Zodiac; look to the walls for "The Coming of the English," a piece by Howard Pyle that depicts exactly what its title suggests that it will. This feels appropriate for the town's most handsome building — one with an interior reminiscent of classic civic architecture in Trenton and D.C. and the decorated Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, and named after a jurist whose written decisions on the Supreme Court were distinguished by their clarity. William Brennan believed in the salutary effects of direct and comprehensible language. For him, the law was no place for abstraction.



Gallery

Gallery at HACPAC presents Colorblind, a solo exhibition of paintings by Val DeAppolonio

(HACKENSACK, NJ) -- The Ruth Bauer Neustadter Gallery at Hackensack Performing Arts Center (HACPAC) presents Colorblind, a solo exhibition of paintings by Val DeAppolonio from July 7 through August 29, 2025. Val is a self-taught, colorblind artist from Northern NJ whose bold abstracts pulse with energy and motion.



Akwaaba

Akwaaba Gallery presents Martryce Roach Solo Exhibition Reflecting the Great Migration

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Akwaaba Gallery is proud to present "Patterns: People in Transition," the second solo exhibition of New Jersey born artist, Martryce Roach. The exhibition features a collection of brand new paintings, ranging in size, that explore the rich history of the Great Migration and its synergy with blues music. The exhibition will be on view through August 15, 2025 with an opening reception on Saturday, July 12, 2025 from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.



Art

Art by Sydnei SmithJordan is Part of Exhibition in West Deptford

(WEST DEPTFORD, NJ) -- The vibrant, story-driven artwork of celebrated Cape May-area visual artist Sydnei SmithJordan will be part of the featured lineup in an exhibition at the Riverwinds Community Center in West Deptford. Running July 1 to August 30, 2025, the dynamic show will include the work of SmithJordan — known for her unique pop fusion style oil paintings of historical figures and future newsmakers— alongside pieces by fellow artists Gloria Gammage Davis, Quinton Greene and Robyn Huber.



Geoffrey

Geoffrey Doig-Marx's "Portraits in Color and Light" opens at the Gallery at Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey - A Fusion of Comedy and Heart

(MADISON, NJ) -- New York-based artist, educator, choreographer, and self-described "Renaissance Man" Geoffrey Doig-Marx (GDM) brings his dynamic exhibition Portraits in Color and Light to The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey as the second art installation in the Theatre's 2025 Season. This striking collection of twenty-six original paintings debuts with the Theatre's production of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again], running July 9–27. It's a pairing that promises a bold celebration of irreverence, reflection, and artistic energy.