Bill Miller. Photo by Mayo Miller King
Admission: $75 per person, includes drinks and hors d’oeuvres ($50 is tax deductible)
William “Bill” Miller is not your typical collector’s collector. Miller built his collection over the years not by chasing rare pieces to complete his trophy case of such-and-such an artist or genre or movement or medium. His 300-plus pieces of museum-quality artworks, both contemporary art pieces and Native American material, have joined his collection seemingly by connection, chance, or fancy. Miller’s collection of more than 100 Native American parfleche is among the world’s most significant and is focused on the tribes and Pueblos of the Rio Grande Valley. Miller says he was drawn to the visual and ethnographic aspects of parfleche, which were made by women. This private collection tour, with wine and hors d’oeuvres, will offer the chance to experience Bill Miller’s collection brought to life through his stories of collecting and living with the art.
Generously hosted by William A. Miller
Please register here.
Virgil Ortiz. Image courtesy of Virgil Ortiz.
Hailing from a family of celebrated Pueblo potters, Virgil Ortiz moves into a new era combining art, fashion, video and film at lightning speed. Ortiz, who works and lives in Cochiti Pueblo, New Mexico, is one of the most innovative potters of his time.
Ortiz, the youngest of six children, grew up in a creative environment in which storytelling, collecting clay, gathering wild plants, and producing figurative pottery were part of everyday life; his grandmother Laurencita Herrera and his mother, Seferina Ortiz, were both renowned Pueblo potters and part of an ongoing matrilineal heritage.
Join us as we begin the day at the Indian Arts Research Center vaults to view the traditional pottery from Cochiti Pueblo with an historical overview by Gallery Owner and Author Charles King. Then we will travel to visit Virgil Ortiz for a private tour of his studio in Cochiti Pueblo with exclusive access to Virgil Ortiz Clay Works prior to Indian Market 2018. Ortiz will also give a presentation about his work and practice of keeping Cochiti pottery traditions alive, but transforming them into a contemporary vision merging his art with apocalyptic themes, science fiction, and his own storytelling.
After a traditional Pueblo-style lunch, we will have the opportunity to enjoy shopping at VO Gallery/Boutique. Lunch will be followed by an optional clay demonstration and/or Tent Rocks excursion (weather permitting).
Learn more about Virgil Ortiz’s art at www.virgilortiz.com.
To RSVP for this field trip, please contact Lindsay Archuleta at (505) 954-7231 or archuleta@sarsf.org.