Michael Naranjo

(Tewa | Santa Clara Pueblo, born 1944)

Michael Naranjo (Tewa and Santa Clara Pueblo) is a sculptor, and he is blind. With his keen sense of touch and intuition, he creates clay figures that are cast in bronze. Naranjo's sculptures often feature elements of his childhood in New Mexico: Native dances, eagles and buffalo, women carrying water.

Naranjo grew up in the Santa Clara Pueblo and in Taos, both in New Mexico. His mother was a ceramic artist, and he grew up helping her prepare clay. In 1968, while serving in the Vietnam War, an exploding grenade took his vision. While in the hospital, he asked for some modeling clay. He'd lost the use of his right hand but with his left hand, he sculpted a small figure and began his career as a sculptor. Naranjo has also founded several hands-on museum experiences for disabled persons, including at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona and Eiteljorg Museum of American Indian and Western Art in Indianapolis. His artworks have been widely exhibited across the U.S.