“Elephant Parade is a brilliantly innovative way of using public art to benefit conservation. ”
Karen Hollis was one of the 248 artists chosen to create a brightly painted, original work of art, for the Elephant Parade 2010, at the time, set to be Londons biggest outdoor art event. The brightly decorated elephants were on display around the city for three months and were then auctioned to raise much needed funds for the conservation of the highly endangered Asian elephant.
Floral oil painter, Hollis, designed the elephant 'Just Joey' based on one of the most vibrant of English roses also called 'Just Joey'. The idea of the design was the merging of something quintessentially, beautifully English with the soulful Asian elephant.
'Just Joey' spent three weeks on public display in Hays Galleria on London's South Bank before being sold at auction for £12,250. He then continued life in a family garden in the heart of London.
In the past 100 years Asian elephant populations have plummeted from 250,000 to 25,000 and if current trends continue the Asian elephant will cease to exist in the wild by 2050.
The final amount raised was over four million pounds to aid conservation efforts by a number of charities including Elephant Family, the only charity devoted exclusively to saving the Asian elephant from extinction in the wild.
“‘The herd of 248 Asian elephants that we assembled for the parade is probably larger than any that now exists in the wild.’”