It’s not every day you see a herd of elephants on the loose in Houston. But with a new art installation at Hermann Park, you can behold these majestic creatures up close and personal. The Great Elephant Migration, a conservation-focused outdoor exhibit, makes its debut at the 445-acre urban park this April, featuring a herd of 100 life-size elephant sculptures that not only delight, but aim to highlight the importance of conservation efforts across the world.
With a nationwide tour that’s taken them to destinations like Miami Beach and New York’s Meatpacking District, these shapely structures were created abroad by around 200 indigenous artists living in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the largest protected forest area in India.
The Great Elephant Migration
Located at Hermann Park through April 30.
You can also find elephants teasing the installation near the Sam Houston Monument and the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
The artists—whose daily lives coexist with the forest’s elephants—produced the lifelike creations using Lantana camara, an invasive plant species that has taken over about 40% of India’s elephant habitats. The flowering plant also poses a similar challenge to Houston’s own native biodiversity.
“That story was just too poignant for us not to pursue,” says Cara Lambright, president and CEO of Hermann Park Conservancy. “All the big signature parks here from Hermann Park, Memorial Park, Buffalo Bayou Park—we all fight this invasive vine.”
Each elephant is handcrafted and anatomically representative of a real-life elephant the artists know. Of all the animals in the sprawling herd, keep your eyes peeled for Matt—a male elephant who makes his debut in this exhibit. A tusker who stands as the largest member of the group, is based on a real-life Kenyan elephant who roamed the farthest of any GPS-tracked elephant in the country.
During the elephants’ month-long stay, the Hermann Park Conservancy is working with organizations like the Houston Public Library and Black Swan Yoga to engage visitors of all ages, with scheduled interactive activities like yoga and storytime that’ll turn a visit into far more than an ordinary day at the park.
