The Great Elephant Migration
Jun 4th, 2025
At
Where:
Blackfeet Nation Bison Reserve
640 All Chiefs Rd Browning, MT
Description:
Starting in Newport, The Public Art Project Aims to Raise Millions for Conservation Efforts Around the World.
Elephant Family is dedicated to protecting Asia's magnificent wildlife— today unveiling the U.S. phase of The Great Elephant Migration. This marks the first time the traveling public art exhibition and fundraising initiative will arrive stateside, with a 3,500-mile Migration of 100 elephant sculptures set to travel to Newport, New York City, Miami, Blackfeet Nation, Buffalo Pastures in Browning, Montana, and Los Angeles through 2025.
An international collaboration between Indigenous artisans, contemporary artists, and cultural institutions, The Great Elephant Migration aims to support Indigenous-led conservation efforts and inspire peaceful human and animal coexistence.
Each elephant in the 100-strong herd 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.
Nilgiri Elephant In The Mist
The collective has recreated every elephant they live alongside in intricately detailed sculptural form. The elephants are made from Lantana camara, one of the world’s top invasive weeds, which encroaches upon over 40% of India's protected areas. Furthermore, each elephant is twinned with a conservation NGO in the USA and beyond whose work will directly benefit from the sale of their sculpture.
Following installations on the East Coast, the herd will make its way west for the final leg of the Migration from the Buffalo Pastures of Blackfeet Nation, Montana into Los Angeles. This journey will involve a convoy of 100 jeeps adorned with Indian lorry art, each towing a single elephant sculpture. From rugged mountains and breathtaking vistas to the vibrant streets of L.A., this journey will symbolize the experience of migratory animals in a human-dominated world.
