Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} Part of a 100-foot-long alligator head art project made its way across Alligator Alley to South Florida on Sunday, causing motorists to pull over, stare and take pictures.



The alligator, made of steel and recyclable materials, is being taken on an 18-wheel flatbed trailer on a three-day trek that began on Florida’s west coast, crossed Alligator Alley and ends in South Florida.



“It was very interesting to see the response of people as it traveled,” said Lloyd Goradesky, a Hollywood-based artist and photographer. “People sort of drive by wondering, ‘Is it a carnival ride?’ Then they realize it’s something more than that.”



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Goradesky is the artist behind “Gator in the Bay,” a multi-phase art project aimed at raising awareness to restore the Everglades. The alligator head next month will be part of a gigantic alligator floating in Biscayne Bay for Art Basel Miami Beach.

“The art is just a reason to meet people and to share,” Goradesky said. “I hope it shows how beautiful the Everglades are.”



Giant Gator Head to Float on Biscayne Bay During Art Basel



He said he hopes the large attraction grabs people’s attention. “Using the power of art to teach someone is the benefit of what this project affords,” he said.

Before it floats on Biscayne Bay, the alligator is making appearances in the coming days at events in South Florida, including 11 schools in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, Goradesky said.



By Sunday afternoon, it was at an event at Virginia Key Beach Park. On Monday, the alligator was scheduled to visit two local schools.



Creating the alligator has been a team effort of more than 100 people. Two other key players in the project have been Cesar Becerra, a historian of the Everglades, and Penny Lambeth, a publicist, preservationist and arts patron helping promote the project.

When it's completely assembled, the gator will be more than 200 feet long.



VIDEO: Eight-Foot Gator Captured in Southwest Miami-Dade