From the Cochiti Pueblo to traveling the world, one artist has followed his dream but has never forgotten his roots.Virgil Ortiz found a niche for art by the time he was 6 years old. To have an exhibit to portray his Native American history is something he never thought would happen.”It’s such a contemporary art space and gives an artist a voice, a pillar, to educate everybody on what we want to talk about,” Ortiz said.Ortiz welcomed the opportunity to have his work featured at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe. From flashing lights to giant sculptures, Ortiz is highlighting the importance of preserving Native American history. “Our history, which is really not taught in our schools, it’s not our history books. It’s been basically been swept under the carpets,” Ortiz said.Through his exhibit, he shows a group from the future on a mission to preserve his people’s history.”Their purpose is to come from the year 2180 to the present time and historic times and what they’re doing is collecting our songs, our traditions, our ceremonies, our artwork, our designs, storing them and protecting them,” Ortiz said.The focus of the exhibit is not only to preserve the traditions of the Pueblo people, but to display the impact of the 1680 Pueblo Revolt — what he calls the first American revolution.Coming from a family he would say is familiar with creativity and art, he learned early to find his passion for it. As a kid from rural Cochiti Pueblo, Ortiz said his Native American background paved the way for him to become the artist he is today.