Sculptor Michael Naranjo never lost faith in what he wanted to do. Even after visiting doctors and psychologists and being told to go back to college or do something else, Naranjo didn't give up to the idea of becoming a sculptor.
"I knew what I wanted to do and I knew how to do it with no eyes and one good hand," he said. "I think art lives within all of us. And fortunately sculpture does lend itself to touch."
Ball State's Freshman Connections ended for the academic year Tuesday night with the visit of the sculptor. The artist shared his experience from living in his Pueblo in Santa Clara, N.M. to his obstacles after being drafted into the Vietnam War and his overcoming a physical barrier to complete his goals.
Naranjo was drafted to the war in 1968 and a year later he suffered an injury from a grenade thrown at his platoon, leaving him blind and unable to use his right arm. But his experience talking with museums and being able to touch many famous sculptures influenced him to continue with his work.
Naranjo talked about his visit to the Vatican, when he attempted to reach to touch the David by Michelangelo, but could only reach his feet. He said one of the guards asked if he wanted a chair.
"I knew with the chair I would only reach slightly over the ankle and I turned to him and said ‘perhaps, someday I'll get famous and they'll build a scaffolding'," he said. "And then we both laughed because we knew that would never happen."
But it happened. After two months, a scaffolding was built for Naranjo to touch the entire sculpture.
Naranjo's galleries allow visitors to touch the sculptures, to give them a better understanding of the texture of his work and to help them "see" more with their hands than what their eyes can, he said.
After the speech, attendees were invited to go to the Atrium Gallery for an artist reception. Students, faculty and some Muncie residents had the chance to look at the sculptures and talk with the artist.
While many, not used to being asked to touch the art, approached the sculptures with caution, freshman criminal justice major Breanna Giles got close and talked with a friend about how it was the first time she was allowed to touch a sculpture since her aunt let her touch some sculptures she worked on.
"He makes art real to a lot people, because a lot of people will walk around art and say, ‘oh, that's pretty' and then walk away," she said. "But when you can walk up to it and feel the curves and touch every piece of the body and see it's not detailed visually but if you touch it you can feel every muscle and every detail as if it were perfect."
Melinda Messineo, associate professor of sociology, said the reaction to the event was far beyond expected.
"We know on a cold day it can be hard to get people out, and we are really excited," she said. "We know Michael has such a compelling story so it's great to see people come out and hear what he has to say."
Messineo said she was pleased with how the last lecture put into perspective the idea of coming into circumstances in life that are not expected.
"It really brought together a lot of the elements we wanted to bring to people in terms of the temporary nature of one's ableness," she said. "We thought of disability not as a dichotomy but a continuum and at any point of your life you may be able or disabled in different ways by different things."
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