Artist Speaking Out About Construction Barrel Monster

The brain behind the Construction Barrel Monster is finally breaking his silence. Joseph Carnevale says when he chopped up three stolen traffic barrels from a construction site to create his sculpture; he saw it as a form of art. Raleigh Police saw it as vandalism and slapped the artist with misdemeanor charges. Now, the student is drawing hundreds of supporters asking the charges be dropped. Even the construction company the barrels belonged to supports him.

“They expressed they had no desire to press charges, nor did they have any desire for me to pay for the barrels. They actually want the sculpture back to use it for their own advertising,“ Carnevale said.

Carnevale says he may take up Hamlin Associates’ offer to reconstruct the monster at their offices. It’s not the first creation he’s made with stolen barrels; the 21-year-old says he’s made an alligator and other caricatures with small arms.