Virgil Reality

I have just returned from Sante Fe to my “normal” life and my head and heart are still spinning. I was trying to find language to express how the week in Sante Fe had been and my new friend Jen, said “Yeah, you have been in Virgil Reality”. Yes!!!!!

In 2018 Native American artist Virgil Ortiz from Cochiti Pueblo had an artist residency at Colorado College and a museum show at The Fine Arts Center here in Colorado Springs. My son and husband signed up for the two classes he was teaching because, #opportunity. When we decided to first homeschool 5 years ago, we studied the work of John Holt, his publication Growing Without Schooling, and more specifically his book Teach Your Own. A few main principals emerged, first, children and people in general are always learning, unless you interrupt this with an outside force. Second, when someone or an organization is offering something you are interested in, do it! Volunteer, apply for a job, ask for an internship, sign up for a class, lean in. So, we leaned in, still leaning actually and it’s amazing! My husband Daniel asked Virgil is he would like to come for a studio tour, and he agreed. After seeing Daniel’s work, he asked if he would want to collaborate. Woop woop! A few weeks later we invited Virgil over for dinner and after being in our house for only a few moments Foster showed him around his home workshop and Virgil discovered some modified Nerf guns and was excited about his discovery. He asked Foster if he could use them in the movie he is creating. Foster agreed but also began sketching new weaponry. Virgil was impressed and asked if he could create what he had sketched. “Sure” responded Foster nonchalantly. During dinner Foster proceeded to create the weapons in a 3d software and Virgil was surprised again by Foster’s abilities to so quickly create beautiful, original designs that responded to Virgil’s own characters he created so seamlessly. New relationships were born, and they have been creating together ever since, all three of them.

Virgil created a ReVOLt showroom in Sante Fe ,NM for the 98th annual Indian Market. He had created similar relationships with other artists in other cities and invited several of them to join the pop up art show. It was impressive, fresh, awe inspiring and so much fun to be a part of. Foster had a wall of weapons and Virgil introduced him over and over explaining how impressed he is with Foster’s talent. He coached him through the awkwardness of discussing his art with people. Foster has autism, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD and profound dyslexia. School was often a painful experience for him and created significant depression which would turn down the volume on his life force and he would create less and less of his own work. We have tried a few different schools and one of the indicators of how well he is doing is the volume of work he is or is not producing. Does he want to wake up early and create all day every day? This is how I know if he is well or not; by observing his daily practices around exploring, creating and designing. Most of his work is done at home or in the studio with his dad. Sante Fe was his first opportunity to display his work and present and discuss it with strangers for 10 hours several days in a row. This was very challenging for him and brought up some old stories centered around shame and failure.

Virgil created a piece of traditional Cochiti pottery about Foster and his Twice Exceptional challenges and strengths. It was moved from a Scottsdale gallery to the ReVOlt showroom and last week was the first time Foster and I had seen it. The first night the gallery was open we had a VIP tour come through and Virgil asked me to talk about Foster and explain his Twice Exceptional strengths and challenges. Um, I was really choked up and it’s the first time I have ever publicly spoken about it to a group of people. And the pottery was there, Foster too. Phew, it was really intense. This was the first night. More people came, and I became more comfortable talking about it. Virgil introduced Foster and his work over and over. He met high ranking politicians, performers, Disney creators and so much more. Virgil coached him through it, our new artist friends cheered him on. I was on standby for as much or as little co-regulation as he wanted or needed. He was fiercely driven by his desire to sell some of his art. All of this created a powerful and magical environment for expansive growth. He transformed over the week. Seeds of confidence were sown and tended. Old stories fell away and new ones created. Expansive growth occurred. Years’ worth of social skills group and Applied Behavioral Therapy couldn’t have created this much growth and opportunity for him. Why? First off-safety. Virgil picked incredibly talented, forward thinking, revolutionary artists to join him. And, they were all Kind. Safe. The type of  people you can co-regulate with. Their regulated nervous systems created the petri dish for Foster to grow new social skills. Their love, support and kindness were his substrate. Add the motivation of making money and the relevance of his art and boom, ingredients for life and new skills. Magic, really. He has new social skills that he relied on yesterday at our local farmers market. He Initiated conversion with a stranger.  When it was time to leave and head back to Colorado, I sort of tried to reign in my overwhelming emotions when I thanked Virgil. I didn’t sob, but there was no way I could keep a steady voice when I expressed my gratitude towards him and the growth opportunities he created for Foster.

This experience felt whole, integrated. To openly discuss aspects of Foster’s school life that were steeped in shame, in one hand, and his triumphs in the other, was a brand new experience for our family. Foster has always created amazing inventions, machines and art, but it was done at home and largely unseen by society. To be celebrated as this unique, whole person, and his creations, was deeply healing. The magic of this stills stirs in my chest. My heart is full.

“Falld” is part of the Taboo II series. Below are images and artist statement by Virgil Ortiz.

“Growing up and living with Dyslexia, Asperger syndrome, and ADHD is an unimaginable personal and social challenge. During my time at Colorado College, I had the opportunity to learn from 15-year-old Foster what it’s like to live with these disorders. As a kid, he thought he was a failure. He showed me one of his own drawings illustrating how he felt about his failures. He saw himself as an extended figure, surrounded by the words, “falld”, meaning “failed” – an intensified expression of his personal feelings and perception. He felt he had to pull himself up every day, so I put him at the top of the mountain, the apex of this piece. He loves to mountain climb, so that seemed appropriate. The other figures are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders and at the same time, getting ready to toss Foster’s “drawing” away as he overcomes his feelings of failure to achieve personal success. I see him standing tall, entering a place of non-duality where the understanding of his neurodiversity can have its meaning outside and separate of how and what it means to others.” -VO