Bio
Chris Ortiz
Bio
Chris Ortiz
Chris Ortiz
Documentary, Environmental Portraiture, Concert Photography, College Professor
MFA
Originally from Lawrence, Kansas (b. 1982), I have had a life-long relationship with photography starting at the age of six. Learning the basics art through his step-father, I quickly developed a love for the camera, then print making, ceramics, painting and art history throughout the rest of my life. Specializing in music and documentary photography since 1998, I have made it my life goal to blend the two into one style of art photography, telling the story of the music world, both from the musician’s stand point and from the crowds, shooting in both digital and medium format black and white film.
I made it a point to constantly have some medium of art throughout his life. Ultimately, I decided to pursue a bachelors in Art History at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas. While still at Baker University, I was early accepted to work on his Master of Fine Arts degree in photography at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), completing my MFA in November of 2017.
Then at SCAD, my work focused mostly on Documentary photography while also working with the University of Kansas on the major project Portraits of Latinx Identity. This project was so successful that the university has applied for two more additional grants to expand the project further. His other project, Living with Sam (MFA Thesis) has been used to bring to the public eye illnesses of Depression, Anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) that people deal with every day. Both collections were well received by both exhibition goers and media. Since graduation, my focus has been back in film and the dark room, working on his punk rock documentary project, We Are All We Have Tonight, that includes both photographs and narratives from those who sat for the photos. The narrations are the sitter’s personal story about their lives within the Punk Rock scene.
When I am not behind my camera, I often can be found out hiking Arizona (where I now live), enjoying a cup of coffee with a book, or enjoying time with friends and family.
CV
Resume
CV
Resume
“Chris Oritz does excellent work. He has a gift for capturing musicians in their natural habitat — performing on stage — and translating it. His shots will transport you to the front row of the rock show. He’s communicative and polite, and exchanges with him are always pleasant and professional, too, and that’s of great value.”
Exhibitions
Current
February - TBA 2022 - We Are All We Have Tonight - The Learning Commons, Georgia Southern University, Armstrong Campus, Savannah GA
March 30th 2022 - Light of Day: Rejects Reconsidered - Lodger Gallery, Kansas City, MO (Online)
Upcoming
TBA
Past
January 26th - February 16th, 2024 - Music Through the Lens: The work of Chris Ortiz - Cider Gallery, Lawrence, KS)
January 26th - February 16th, 2024 - Untitled Music Photography - Cider Gallery, Lawrence, KS)July 23 - October 14, 2021 - 2021 KANSAS CITY FLATFILE & DIGITALFILE (We Are All We Have Tonight [part of a Group Show]) - H&R Block Art Space, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
August 5, 2021 - September 16th, 2021 - We Are All We Have Tonight (solo exhibition) - Cottey College, Nevada, MO
April 2021 - Temproālis Rite (group exhibition) - Beco Gallery - Kansas City, Missouri (Opening Reception April 2, 2021)
December 2019 - January 2020 - We Are All We Have Tonight - Lawrence Percolator, Lawrence, KS (Opening Reception November 29th, 2019)
2019 - Domestic Violence Awareness Show (Benefit for Willow Domestic Violence Shelter), Lawrence Percolator, Lawrence, KS
2018 - Portraits of Latinx Identity - Oklahoma Contemporary, Oklahoma City, OK. October 18-28th, 2018 (Link)
2018 Kansas City Flatfile & Digital File Exhibition (showed first 10 of the We Are All We Have Tonight collection)(bi-annual, invitation only show) - H&R Block Art Space, Kansas City MO (June 8th, 2018 - September 29th, 2018) (Link)
2018 - Micro Exhibit, We Are All We Have Tonight - Lawrence Community Photo Studio, Lawrence KS
2017 - Solo Exhibition - Living with Sam - Kansas Union Gallery, University of Kansas - Lawrence KS - October 22 - November 3rd, 2017 (Link)
2017 - Solo Exhibition - Living with Sam MFA Thesis Exhibition - Lawrence Community Photography Studio - Lawrence, KS. September 28th, 2017
2016 - Solo Exhibition - Portraits of Latinx Identity - University of Kansas - Lawrence, KS (Link)
2016 - Group Show - 4 Times Square - New York City, New York
2016 - "Latinx of Lawrence, Kansas" - Solo Exhibition - Lawrence Public Library - Lawrence, Kansas
2015 - Group Show - Hilliard Gallery - Kansas City, Missouri
2015 - Group Show - Uptown Downtown Gallery - Lawrence, Kansas
2013 - Group Show - The Screaming Sky Gallery - Portland, Oregon
2011 - "Pinhole Work" - Solo Exhbition - Jersey Arts Centre - St. Helier, Jersey, UK
2010 - Group Show - David Jones Gallery - Kansas City, Missouri
2010 - Group Show - Lawrence Creates Market Place - Lawrence, Kansas
2010 - Group Show - JazzHaus - Lawrence, Kansas
2010 - Group Show - IDKcE - Baltimore, Maryland
2009 - "Youth of Today (revisited)" - Solo Exhibition - Bourgeois Pig - Lawrence, Kansas
2009 - Group Show - Kansas City Art Institute - Kansas City, Missouri
2008 - Group Show - Arts and Addiction - San Juan, PR. (Addiction and Art Exhibit held in conjunction with the College on Problems of Drug Dependence International Conference)
2008 - Group Show - Arts and Addiction - Rockville, MD. (Addiction and Art Exhibition held at the National Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
Education
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) - Master of Fine Arts, Photography, 2017
Baker University - Bachelor of Arts, Art History and Criticism, 2014
Classes Taught
2020-2022 - Adjunct Assistant Professor of Art - Cottey College, Nevada, MO
Intro to Digital Art
Art History I & II
Digital Photography
2019 - Portrait Photography - Lawrence Community Photo Studio
2018-2020 - Contract Adjunct Photography Professor - Radford University, Radford, VA
2017-2018 - Documentary Photography - Lawrence Community Photo Studio
Fall 2107 - Survey of Photography II : 1930s to the Digital Era - PHOT 240 - Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) (TA)
Fall 2016 - Lighting: Products to Portrait - PHOT 214 - Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) (TA)
Press
Podcast
The Punk Roquette Show (Spotify, Episode 81) - 2022 (Concert Photography)
The Punk Roquette Show (Spotify, Episode 7) - 2021 (We Are All We Have Tonight)
Television
Fox 25 (Oklahoma City) - 2018 (Portraits of Latinx Identity)
Radio
BBC Radio - January 2011 (for Pinhole Work)
The Pitch - June 2021 -Present (various articles/photo essays)
KC Studio Magazine - May/June 2020 (Artist to Watch & We Are All We Have Tonight)
Lawrence Magazine - Winter 2019 Issue (We Are All We Have Tonight)
University Daily Kansas - 2016 (Portraits of Latinx Identity)
University of Kansas, Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies Department - Latino Americans: 500 Years of History grant project (printed promotional materials) - 2016 (Portraits of Latinx Idetity)
The Baker Orange (newspaper) - 2014
Lawrence Journal-World - 2011-2012
Addiction and Art - 2010 (Photography work featured in)
Online/Social Media
“Photos: Garbage live in KC last night at T-Mobile Alongside Alanis Morissette and Cat Power.” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2021
“From Facebook to Foo Fighters: How This Kansas City Rock Band Turned to Tech to Power Through Covid” - USA Today - 2021
“Photos: Dwight Yoakam turned the Uptown into a honky tonk” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2021
“Photos: Halestorm rocking Azura to kick-off Labor Day weekend” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2021
“Change in the Mexican constitution allows those of Mexican descent to gain citizenship” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2021
“Garth Brooks sets new records at Arrowhead” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2021
“Foo Fighters—with support from local heroes Radkey—burned Azura to the ground; melted faces” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2021
“The Monarchs revive the spirit of American Association baseball in KC” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2021
“Photo gallery: KC National Women’s Soccer League’s unfortunate June 23 loss to Orlando Pride” - The Pitch, Kansas City 2021
“Don Everly Fastpitch Softball Tournament crowns Lawrence’s Fury as champs” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2021
“The 2021 “West 18th Street Fashion Show” hit the pavement with style” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2021
“Cottey College partners with NFL to become one of the first schools in Women’s College Flag Football” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2021
“Small colleges are handling a coronavirus holiday season with multifaceted approach” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2020
“Artist to Watch” - KC Studio Magazine May/June 2020
“Photos of Coronavirus life in small-town Kansas” - The Pitch, Kansas City, 2020
“We Are All We Have Tonight” - Arc Moment - 2019
“Celebration of Latino Culture set for Oct. 20 at OK Contemporary” - The City Sentinel - 2018 (Portraits of Latinx Identity)
“2018 Kansas City Flatfile and Digitalfile” - Kansas City Art Institute - 2018
"Local art class seeks to promote documentary photography" - University Daily Kansan - 2018
HD 150 AR - 2017 (Swope Park Rangers, Sweden)
University Daily Kansas - 2017 (Living with Sam)
KCUR - Website - 2017 (Living with Sam)
KJHK - Website - 2016 (Portraits of Latinx Identity)
University of Kansas, Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies Department - "Portraits of Latinx Identity" press release - 2016
“Library to create oral histories of Latino Americans in Lawrence” University Daily Kansan - 2016
University of Kansas, Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies Department - Website/Facebook/Twitter - 2016
Swope Park Rangers - Website/Social Media - 2016
La DIEZ Sports Magazine - Website "Sporting KC 20 anos en la liga (Images)", Sporting KC volvió al triunfo - 2016
United Soccer League (USL) - Website - 2016
Sporting Kansas City - Website/Facebook - 2015
US Woman's National Soccer Team - Twitter - 2015
Union Station (Kansas City, MO) - Website and Social Media - 2015
FC Kansas City - Social Media - 2015/16
Viterbo University - 2015
Baker University - 2015
Artist Lectures
Music through the Lens: The Work of Chris Ortiz - Sunrise Lyons Club - Prescott, AZ - March 7, 2024
Music through the Lens: The Work of Chris Ortiz - “KU LEAP” - University of Kansas - Lawrence, KS. - January 27, 2024
Portraits of Latinx Identity - Oklahoma Contemporary - Oklahoma City, OK - October 20th, 2018
Portraits of Latinx Identity - Memorial Union, University of Kansas - Lawrence, KS. - November 10, 2016
Collections
"Artist File" Spencer Research Library - Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City MO
University of Kansas, Lawrence KS
Awards, Honors and Grants
Photo Essay - Kansas Collegiate Media Award
"Addiction and Art" - Johns Hopkins University
4x Top 10 “Best of Lawrence” - Photographer
1x Top 5 “Best of Lawrence” - Photographer
KU LA500 Grant - US Department of Humanities
Curation/Research
Quayle Historic Bible Collection and Museum - Baker University, Baldwin City, KS 2012-2014
“Chris often covers my clients in Kansas City, and he never disappoints. He is always professional and always captures beautiful images.”
Clients
Clients
Clients
Clients
Partial Client List
News Organizations
Reuters News, USA Today, Yahoo! News, Adobe Stock, Alamy Stock, The Prescott Daily Courier (Arizona), The Pitch (Kansas City, MO)
University/College
Baker University, Cottey College, University of Kansas Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Sports
Sporting Kansas City, KC Current/FC Kansas City/KC Women’s Soccer, Cottey College, Nitro Circus/Nitro World Games, Swope Park Rangers, The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Monarchs, The Savannah Bananas
Political
US President Joe Biden, US President Barack Obama, US President William “Bill” Clinton, KS Senator Sam Brownback, VT Senator Bernie Sanders, FL Senator Marco Rubio
Commercial
GoFundMe Heroes Campaign, Live Nation
Music
ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Chicago, Kansas, The Dead & Co., Taylor Swift, Luke Combs, Ben Folds, Ani DiFranco, America, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, WAR, John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Death Cab for Cutie, The Judds, Martina McBride, The Lumineers, The Eagles, Roger Waters (of Pink Floyd), The Who, Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, New Kids on the Block, Rick Ashtley, Salt-n-Pepa, Twenty One Pilots, Carlos Santana, Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, Joan Jett, Alicia Keys, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Loverboy, New Found Glory, Less Than Jake, Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavigne, Flogging Molly, Coheed and Cambria, Tool, GirlTalk, Caribou, Don McLean, Circle Jerks, Rancid, Foo Fighters, Garth Brooks, Dwight Yoakam, Dropkick Murphys, The Bronx, Silversun Pickups, Garbage, Falling in Reverse, Lolo, The Hu, Wynton Marsalis, Halestorm, The Casualties, The Interrupters, George Clinton, Mustard Plug, Anti-Flag, Tegan and Sara, and many more.