Art has been known to increase the quality of a human’s life, but, in some cases, art is saving the lives of animals.
Have you ever heard of elephant art?
This type of art ranges from a photograph taken of an elephant to a picture painted by the intelligent mammal. However, let it be known that elephant art never involves their ivory tusks. Throughout the world elephants are being poached because of their tusks. This is causing the population of African and Asian elephants to dwindle. Much of the time, ivory is used to create works of art. To encourage the growth of elephant populations many countries have banned the importation and sale of ivory.
Other than poaching, elephants are a threatened species because their habitats are shrinking. Because of their large size, elephants need a lot of food, water and land to roam. The development of elephant habitats is cutting in on their space and limiting the basic necessities they need for survival.
What would the world be like without elephants? Many of us cannot imagine this reality and several artists are dedicated to avoiding this threat through creative activism.
Elephant Parade
Mike Spits’s father was in Chiang Mai when he met an elephant that lost her leg to a landmine. The hospital treating the elephant wanted to give her a prosthetic leg someday but such a surgery would be very expensive. Touched by the need, Mike Spits’s father wanted to help but he didn’t want to write a onetime check. He wanted to create a sustainable fund that could help elephants for years to come. From this desire, Elephant Parade was born. Now, Mike Spits operates the social enterprise on funds brought in through painted elephant statues.
Artists Against Ivory
Operating on the vision of “helping elephants live forever,” Artists Against Ivory creates wearable art including t-shits and jewelry, as well as wall art. Through elephant inspired art, this enterprise raises money and empowers the cause of elephants throughout the world.
Mae Taeng Elephant Camp
Elephant habitats in Thailand were being encroached upon when the Chailert family created a camp to protect the species. Later, they opened a clinic to rehabilitate injured animals. They support the park and clinic by opening their doors to visitors who want to get up close and personal with the gentle giants. More so, they sell artwork created by the elephants. At Mae Taeng, elephants begin painting at the age of three.
Will art save the elephants? We can only hope this genre of art is raising awareness of the threat they face. Embrace the art that comes from elephants and share the art elephants create.
Segmation is the art of pieceful imaging. Our Elephant pattern set includes many photographs of elephants in their nature settings standing in grassy fields, dirt roads, and reflecting in water ponds. Click on the banner above to see all 20 patterns.
Read more Segmation blog posts about art and color:
Coral Reefs: Rainforests of the Sea
Baby Art Creates Dreamy Photographs
Cold Case Paintings: When Mystery and Art Collide
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