Rising from the Wreckage

Artist Joe Butts finds renewal and catharsis in crafting a giant scrap-metal phoenix symbolizing his new life

Artist Joseph “Joe” Butts knows firsthand what it’s like to crash and burn, but he also knows it’s possible to rise burnished and better from the ashes. He channeled all of those feelings into a behemoth, show-stopping sculpture, The Phoenix. 

“It’s a symbol of hope, and renewal, and rebirth. I think that resonates with a lot of people. I know it resonated with me. I’ve been through (difficult) things in my professional life and my personal life … but the idea of hope and renewal was (my) inspiration,” said Butts,’98, a Detroit native and first-generation MSU graduate.  

Last fall, he entered the 10-foot-tall, 1,800-pound scrap-metal bird—boasting a 17-foot wingspan—in ArtPrize, the internationally revered Grand Rapids-based art competition. 

Some 500,000 art lovers flocked to the weeks-long contest. At its culmination, they honored the 3-D big bird with a people’s choice award. 

He started the 18-month project by scouring junkyards, flea markets, antique shops, and thrift stores for suitable materials. Working in a studio outside his Oxford home, he used welding skills he’d picked up as an MSU art major.  

It was like a big jigsaw puzzle, Butts said.  

And every piece is captivating. Look closely and you’ll see the bird’s wheelbarrow chest, carved wooden beak, giant marble eyes, 300 custom-cut steel feathers, and dozens of circular saw blades. Embellishments include license plates, small bells, horseshoes, and more. 

From start to finish, creating the sculpture was cathartic, Butts said. 

It embodies his victory as a twentysomething over his greatest personal battle—alcoholism. “When you’re at that … visceral level of existence, you don’t really have any self-worth. You’re just kind of down and out. Art wasn’t even on my radar,” he said. 

Butts spent a couple of years under addiction’s spell before experiencing a “moment of clarity.” It was then that he decided to stop drinking.  

He went back to college, became a high school art teacher, and felt a resurgence in his creativity and ambition. He also met his wife, Lisa. She encouraged him to take his art to the next level and focus on it professionally.  

In 2012, he turned an outbuilding on his rural property into a studio and began entering his mixed-media 3-D works in art shows.    

Four years later, he decided it was time to share the ebullience and strength he’s enjoyed during his 17 years of sobriety. 

“The Phoenix went together so easily for me,” he said. “It was like writing my (life) story—rising up, wings spread, just feeling free of all this negative stuff.” 

Soon, the avian sculpture will take also flight. Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museums and Entertainment snared the Phoenix and is expected to display in one of their venues.

Like the artist, the sculpture is ready to soar. 

This article appeared in the MSU Alumni Magazine. View the digital copy here.