his destiny was,” she said. “He was born to be an artist.”

Early signs of that talent appeared when Middlebrook was a boy in Jackson, Mich. When he was 6, he turned a sand box into a city, using paper clips to fashion antennas and playing cards as doors for garages. His mother, Mary, now 90 years old, was thrilled and always managed to get whatever materials he needed after that so he could follow his artistic dreams.

“That’s when my career started,” Middlebrook said. “In grade school, I was the one who was always asked to draw the turkey and the Pilgrims on the blackboard.”

Driven even then, he made Eagle Scout at age 13 and set a record at the time for merit badges earned — 57.

By high school,he led a bit of a double life as an artist and a jock. He worked on art when he could and played on his school’s varsity football and basketball teams. He also was on the track team and won a basketball scholarship to Albion College in Michigan, where he continued his dual interests. He majored in art and was captain of the track team. Today, his workout is an artistic one — in his studio.

After earning his masters of fine arts at the University of Iowa in 1970, Middlebrook became a pioneer in the ceramic art movement in the 1970s and slowly evolved into the sculptor he is today. His work reflects the influence of his travels around the world, including stints as visiting artist at the