“What if elephants could migrate across America?” someone mused. This thought inspired The Great Elephant Migration featuring the Herd of elephant statues. These aren’t just any statues. They represent a powerful message of conservation.
The Herd of elephant statues started their journey in Newport. The Public Art Project aimed to raise millions for conservation efforts around the world. Elephant Family, an organization dedicated to protecting Asia’s wildlife, unveiled the U.S. phase of The Great Elephant Migration. This marked the first time the traveling public art exhibition and fundraising initiative arrived stateside. A 3500-mile migration of 100 elephant sculptures traveled to various cities.
These cities included Newport, New York City, Miami, Blackfeet Nation, Buffalo Pastures in Browning, Montana, and Los Angeles throughout 2025. The Great Elephant Migration is an international collaboration. It involves Indigenous artisans, contemporary artists, and cultural institutions. The project supports Indigenous-led conservation efforts. It also inspires peaceful human and animal coexistence.
Each elephant in the 100-strong Herd of elephant statues was created by The Coexistence Collective. This community includes 200 indigenous artisans. They come from the Bettakurumba, Paniya, Kattunayakan, and Soliga communities of India’s Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu. The collective recreated every elephant they live alongside. They used intricately detailed sculptural forms.
The elephants are made from Lantana camara. This is one of the world’s top invasive weeds. It encroaches upon over 40% of India’s protected areas. Each elephant is twinned with a conservation NGO in the USA. The sale of their sculpture will directly benefit their work.
Ruth Ganesh is the Coexistence Collective Co-Founder and Elephant Family Trustee. She noted the growth of both human and animal populations in India. She spoke of the extraordinary success of compassionate coexistence. Ganesh said that the Herd of elephant statues is here to tell its story. It inspires the human race to share space. It encourages participation in this transformative movement.
Following a UK tour in 2021, the herd embarked on a one-year campaign across the United States. It spread joy and wonder. It reached new audiences with its messages. It engaged environmental partners along the way.
Art&Newport, a nonprofit art organization presented the U.S. Migration. Dodie Kazanjian founded the organization. It brings international artists and art to Newport. The Migration commenced on July 4th in Newport. It featured a series of multidisciplinary art installations by artist Hadi Falapishi. Kazanjian curated the installations. Falapishi created an expansive body of work specifically for this project. It was displayed at several of the town’s most storied mansions and historic sites. The herd of 100 elephants was dispersed and installed just outside these locations. This created a dialogue with Falapishi’s work. It also provided a remarkable and immersive experience for visitors.
Dodie Kazanjian described the vision of 100 handmade Indian elephants migrating across America. She called it a monumental, cinematic, and moving work of performance art. She felt the project aligned with the mission and values of Art&Newport. She was honored to have the first location in the U.S. engage with this work.
A majority of the herd was installed at Salve Regina University during July and August. It was accessible from the Cliff Walk near historic McAuley Hall. Salve’s student Cliff Walk Ambassadors acted as docents. They educated tourists about the initiative. This was part of their community immersion coursework.
After Newport, the elephants migrated to New York City’s Meatpacking District. Programming and activations continued into late October. Visitors experienced the elephants at key gateways and plazas. In December, the elephants traveled to Miami for Art Week. This was in collaboration with Faena Art and The Reef Line. Xerjoff, an Italian fragrance company, supported the event.
The Herd of elephant statues then made its way west. The final leg of the Migration went from the Buffalo Pastures of Blackfeet Nation, Montana, into Los Angeles. A convoy of 100 jeeps, adorned with Indian lorry art, each towed a single elephant sculpture. This journey symbolized the experience of migratory animals in a human-dominated world.
The Great Elephant Migration supports a large-scale initiative. It shreds vast areas of Lantana from India’s Protected Areas. It converts it into biochar. The project aims to sequester 2625 tons of carbon by the end of 2025. It also plans to create more than 500 jobs for Indigenous communities.
This Herd of elephant statues represents a commitment to conservation. It embodies the spirit of coexistence between humans and animals. Its journey reminds us of the importance of protecting our planet’s magnificent wildlife.