Butler Artist Hopes to Win Top Prize With Flamingo Display [VIDEO]

Nine months ago, Theodore Carrozza dreamt of flamingos.

This weekend, he will transport the product of that vision, four 6-foot wooden flamingo sculptures, to Grand Rapids, Mich., for the third annual ArtPrize exhibit.

Once there, Carrozza will install his vibrant pink statues in a 25-foot wide setting at the event’s Open Concept Gallery. He hopes to receive the most votes from ArtPrize attendees between Sept. 21 and Oct. 9 in order to win the ArtPrize exhibit’s top prize of $250,000.

Carrozza’s work of art, entitled, “Flossy the Flamingo and Friends,” will feature the four flamingo sculptures situated amongst several three-dimensional wooden foliage sculptures. The tropical scene will be displayed on a painted backdrop and lit with stage lighting.

“Most of my pieces I dream up,” explained the 58-year-old artist. “I wake up in the morning and I say, ‘I’m gonna do it.’ Low and behold, I woke up one morning and said I’m going to build flamingos.”

Known among friends and family as “The Artist,” or “Mingo [as in flamingo] Man,” Carrozza originally heard about ArtPrize from his stepson.

“The whole city becomes an art gallery, so to speak,” Carrozza said. “There’s close to 200 venues… The whole city turns into a gallery and an art show. A half a million people are expected to come this year.”

According to the event’s website, “ArtPrize is a radically open competition. Open to any artist in the world who can find space. Open to anybody in Grand Rapids, Michigan who wants to create a venue. Open to a vote from anyone who attends.”

More than 1,600 artists compete for $484,000 in prizes. The event’s top artist not only receives $250,000, but the artist’s work remains in Grand Rapids on display.

“It’s the largest event of its type ever in the world to exist,” Carrozza said.

People attending the event have the chance to vote on their favorite work of art. Public vote is the only factor in deciding which artist is the winner.

Carrozza, a professional photographer, and his wife, Linda Carrozza, have been married three years. Between them, they have six children who range in age from 16 to 31. The two met when they worked in an entertainment company in West Paterson. Both held positions in the photography division, Carrozza shooting and Linda producing.

It was Linda who brought the artist to Butler.

“More than anything, I love my home here with my wife,” Carrozza said.

But this week, while Linda handles the logistics and Carrozza handles the art, the couple will leave their home, and jobs, behind to embark on a three-week, all-out, art adventure.

Together they will drive the flock, and accompanying trees and bushes, in an 8-foot high, 15-foot long box truck that Linda researched and rented.

“It took me hours of searching before I found a truck with the necessary interior height,” Linda said, noting that, “Not all box trucks are the same size,” and 6-foot tall, 3-foot long flamingos with a girth of 18 inches need space. 

Carrozza said that because of the monumental time commitment, his participation in the ArtPrize event would not be possible without Linda. She has coordinated all the details, clocking more than 100 hours so far. By the end of this week, the flamingo project, which has taken more than nine months to plan and execute, will be unveiled.

The Carrozzas will make the 732-mile trip with the sculptures carefully packed in the back of the truck. It is estimated the journey will take more than 11.5 hours, Carrozza said. But at the end of the road trip, the Carrozzas adventure will be just beginning.  

They will remain in Grand Rapids for the entire ArtPrize exhibition.

“Grand Rapids is going to know I’m there,” noted Carrozza. “I’ve worked so hard on this thing, I am going to party.”

With a time investment of more than 800 hours since December, Carrozza said “Flossy the Flamingo and Friends” is the largest work of art he has ever created.  

Carrozza intends to be on hand daily at the gallery to greet viewers. 

Despite the fact that he cannot say where his inspiration comes from, Carrozza does credit his grandfather with cultivating his interest in building wooden sculptures.

“My grandfather was a joiner from Italy,” said Carrozza about his grandfather’s skilled woodworking. “He built the arch over Radio City Music Hall.”

Carrozza’s mother, Eleanor, is also an artist living in Butler. 

“You can’t be taught to be an artist,” Carrozza explained. “Either you’re an artist or you’re not.”

Last March, Carrozza’s sculpture, “King Cobra,” won the People’s Choice Award for sculpture at the Saint Catherine of Bologna Patron of the Arts Association Exhibition.

Over the next few weeks, Tri-boro Patch invites you to follow Theodore Carrozza’s art adventure through “Flamingo Watch.” We will be posting updates from the artist and his wife. Also, if you find yourself in Grand Rapids, Mich., make sure you stop to see “Flossy the Flamingo and Friends.” We want to post your pictures and comments.

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