The Great Elephant Migration

An awe-inspiring outdoor public art exhibit, previously showcased in iconic locations like Newport, Rhode Island and the Meatpacking District, brings larger-than-life, eco-friendly elephant sculptures to parks and public spaces, all in the name of conservation and invasive species eradication. The journey of these magnificent creatures tells the compelling story of the vital importance of elephant conservation and the global challenge of managing invasive species. The sight of elephants amongst urban environments in the U.S. parallels the reality in India, where wild elephants often wander into cities, navigating urbanizing landscapes. The exhibit is accompanied by an educational curriculum partnership provided by Think Elephants.

Each elephant has been created by The Coexistence Collective, a community of 200 indigenous artisans from the Bettakurumba, Paniya, Kattunayakan and Soliga communities of India’s Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu. The collective has spent the past five years beautifully bringing to life every elephant they live alongside, in intricately detailed sculptural form. Like many indigenous cultures around the world, these communities have intimate knowledge of nature and wildlife, based on generations of observation and experience.