Approaching the end of their 5,000-mile-long journey, 100 life-sized elephant sculptures ceremoniously crossed the finish line at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on June 28. The sculptures were installed just across the street at Beverly Gardens Park and will remain there until the end of July.
Guests—including members of Blackfeet Nation, Maasai warriors and leaders in art, philanthropy, local politics, and entertainment—cheered as the last elephant convoy made its way through The Wallis’ Eva and Marc Stern Arrival Court. The elephants arrived draped in blankets made by Indian designer Vikram Goyal as part of his “Wrapped in History” curation for the event’s blanketing ceremony.
“In many cultures around the world, we honor wisdom and genius, if you will, with blankets,” said Cristina Mormorunni, co-founder and director of conservationist group INDIGENOUS LED. “This blanketing ceremony is really special because it’s bringing together Indigenous artistry and culture and ceremony with some of the most incredible fashion houses on the planet.”
Their artistic journey, formally called “The Great Elephant Migration,” symbolizes coexistence between humans and wildlife and amplifying Indigenous knowledge. The elephants started their journey in Newport, Rhode Island and finished in Beverly Hills, with stops along the way in both major cities, like New York, and tribal lands, including the Blackfeet Nation’s Buffalo Spirit Hills Ranch in Montana.
Each sculpture is based on a real-life elephant roaming the Nilgiri Hills in Southern India. Made from the heat-loving, invasive plant species Lantana camara, each elephant is meticulously handcrafted by a community of 200 Indigenous Adivasi artisans making up The Real Elephant Collective, who live with and know the wild animals personally.
Like the matriarchal structure of elephant herds, The Great Elephant Migration has its own “matriarchs,” a coalition of women championing coexistence between humans and wildlife. The ceremony was joined by some of the elephants’ notable matriarchs, including Kristin Davis, Ami Vitale, and Edith McBean.
When it came to choosing where the elephants’ 5,000-mile-long journey would end, the exhibition’s co-founder, Ruth Ganesh, was keen on Wallis Annenberg because of her eponymous wildlife overpass over the U.S. 101 freeway.
The elephant convoy, before it reached Beverly Hills, made a penultimate stop at the crossing to honor its significant contributions to conservation infrastructure.
“The Wildlife Overpass is the biggest example in the world right now of human-wildlife coexistence and what this project stands for,” Ganesh told the Courier. The crossing is a long stretch of vegetated overpass designed to facilitate the safe crossing of wildlife.
“When we pitched to Beverly Hills [City] Council, there was nothing but warmth … nothing but warmth and a sense of solidarity with what we were doing,” said Ganesh. “Sharona [Nazarian] and Mary [Wells] are both kind of matriarchs, so I felt that resonated with them, and then of course, John [Mirisch], Craig [Corman] and Lester [Friedman].”
Beverly Hills Mayor Sharona Nazarian joined her fellow councilmembers in celebrating the end of the elephants’ cross-country trek.
“We’re standing on a stage that champions creativity every day, the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts … this is truly a gem in our city, and we’re so proud,” said Nazarian. “From July 1 to August 1, Beverly Gardens Park will transform into a space of beauty, storytelling, and environmental awareness. It’s a public art with purpose, and we are so incredibly proud to host this in Beverly Hills and in this most iconic location.”
The program concluded with The Perfect World Foundation presenting Wallis Annenberg with its International Conservation Award, which was accepted by her son, Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, on her behalf.
“This award tonight will honor Wallis Annenberg and her great efforts in creating the wildlife crossing that will see the reconnection of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Simi Hills to allow wildlife, like mountain lions, to move freely,” said Ganesh.
