The Orange County Braille Institute will sponsor a trip to UCI’s Mesquite Garden where sightless art lovers will experience 12 marble sculptures with their hands and hear the stories behind the pieces from artist Nancy Doran. The event mirrors one held in Italy where the sculptures were carved.

The sculptures, installed in the Science Library’s Mesquite Garden Plaza, depict contorted human forms arising from columns or sandwiched between thick slabs of stone. The overriding theme, says Doran, “represents the human spirit emerging from the forces that seek to enslave us.” She carved the statues from top-quality marble in Pietrasanta Italy where Michelangelo carved his masterpieces.

While working in Italy, Doran discovered that the Italian Braille Society routinely sponsored excursions for the sightless. The fact that the sculptor was there to talk and answer questions made it an enriching experience. She contacted the Orange County Braille Institute about the possibility of sponsoring such an event here.

Doran and her husband, Phil Doran, donated the sculptures to UCI after the pieces toured five museums in Italy, culminating in a one-woman show at the Chiesa Maddalena di Pazzi in Florence. The series was installed and dedicated in 1995.