AGENDA REPORT
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RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of the proposed Great Elephant Migration art exhibition, to take place in Beverly Gardens Park in July 2025; accept the donation of the artwork, and; waiver of all fees associated with the installation, and; authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with Coexistence Story Inc. DBA Elephant Family USA Inc, for the donation, installation, maintenance, operation, and removal of the Great Elephant Migration exhibition in Beverly Gardens Park.
INTRODUCTION
Coexistence Story Inc. DBA Elephant Family USA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on the conservation of Asian elephants and wildlife, including the protection of natural habitats to foster the co-existence of wildlife and the indigenous communities that live alongside them. The Great Elephant Migration is one of the conservation projects delivered by Elephant Family USA, and exhibits an ongoing traveling global environmental art campaign, installed in often urban locations, comprised of approximately 100 life-sized elephant sculptures, replicating a herd of elephants in the wild at scale. Each elephant May 20, 2025
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Honorable Mayor & City Council
Matthew Brown, Recreation Services Manager
Christopher Paulson, Deputy Director of Community Services
APPROVAL OF THE GREAT ELEPHANT MIGRATION ART
EXHIBITION IN BEVERLY GARDENS PARK IN JULY 2025; ACCEPT
THE DONATION OF THE ARTWORK, AND WAIVER OF ALL FEES
ASSOCIATED WITH THE INSTALLATION; AND
AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT
WITH COEXISTENCE STORY INC. DBA ELEPHANT FAMILY USA
INC, FOR THE DONATION, INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE,
OPERATION, AND REMOVAL OF THE GREAT ELEPHANT
MIGRATION EXHIBITION IN BEVERLY GARDENS PARK
None
Meeting Date: May 20, 2025
sculpture is made from an invasive weed in India called Lantana camara, and modeled after tusker, matriarch, adolescent, or calf elephants at the approximate size found in the wild. One of the fundraising elements of the Great Elephant Migration exhibitions, includes the ability for the public to purchase replica sculptures of each of the elephants that are on display at a given exhibit.
The current 2024-2025 schedule of exhibitions for the Great Elephant Migration is taking place in the U.S. and began in Newport, Rhode Island in July 2024. Subsequent stops since have included New York City, Miami Beach, and Houston, with upcoming exhibits in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Browning, Montana, and this proposed exhibit in Beverly Hills would culminate the Great Elephant Migration journey in the U.S. If approved, organizers plan to locate the exhibition in Beverly Hills in July 2025, along six blocks of Beverly Gardens Park.
The Arts and Culture Commission Council Liaisons, Vice Mayor Mirisch and Councilmember Wells, met on April 29, 2025 and received an introductory report from staff and a presentation from Ruth Ganesh and Fiona Humphrey, Co-CEOs of Elephant Family USA Inc. The report and presentation are included as Attachment 1.
Council Liaisons expressed enthusiasm for the exhibit but had some concerns and questions requiring follow up by staff including, confirmation that Elephant Family USA Inc. would cover the cost of sod and irrigation restoration in addition to security costs, as a condition of extending their support for the exhibit to the full City Council. In subsequent conversations with the Elephant Family USA Inc. team, they confirmed that they will pay for any sod and irrigation restoration and are eager to partner with the City of Beverly Hills.
DISCUSSION
This proposal for the Great Elephant Migration exhibition to occur in Beverly Hills, was initially brokered through the local Beverly Hills business community, from an introduction by business-owner, and member of the Executive Board of the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce, Bobbe Joy Dawson. A series of meetings between Elephant Family USA Inc. staff and the City’s Policy and Management staff, reviewed the proposal against criteria outlined as necessary to fulfill the City’s special event permitting requirements. After this series of internal review and fact-finding processes occurred with Elephant Family USA Inc. and Policy and Management, Community Services continued the review process, including the evaluation of proposed installation plans and layouts within Beverly Gardens Park in consideration of existing Community Services events, such as Festival Beverly Hills on Sunday July 20, 2025.
Staff determined that based upon the proposal, and discussions with Elephant Family USA Inc. staff, the exhibition proposed to occur in July 2025 at Beverly Gardens Park was feasible as presented. The range of dates proposed for the exhibition to occur includes initial installation work beginning on June 25, 2025, and de-installation beginning on August 2, 2025, followed by three or four days to completely strike and load out of the site.
The fully activated installation on display would run from July 1, 2025, through August 1, 2025. To commemorate the kickoff of the Great Elephant Migration exhibition in Beverly Hills, and the culmination of the U.S. Great Elephant Migration, a celebratory kickoff event is planned to take place at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on Friday, June 27, 2025.
The elephant sculptures replicate the actual size and scale of elephants in the wild, and as such, range in size from 3 feet in height and 60 to 70 pounds in weight for a calf, to 10 feet in height and 800 pounds in weight for the largest adult male elephant sculptures. The Meeting Date: May 20, 2025
elephant sculptures are installed and attached to a steel rebar frame below each elephant leg, stabilizing bars attached to each foot mount, and secured to ground using a ground anchor and cable assembly designed for grass installations, with a load capacity of 2,000 pounds, and ground anchor weight load of 400 pounds. As part of the installation and exhibition, Elephant Family USA implements a series of fire risk management and fire safety measures, in accordance with Beverly Hills Municipal Code, California Fire Code, and Los Angeles County Fire Department requirements for public art installations.
One of the cost contingencies Elephant Family USA Inc. agrees to absorb as part of the exhibition agreement, and at the recommendation of staff, is the hard cost coverage of any landscape or irrigation impacts in Beverly Gardens Park, resulting from the exhibition.
Based upon worst case scenario projections provided by Public Works, should the entirety of the sodding located in the installation area need to be replaced, and damage is incurred in the areas to irrigation lines and sprinkler heads, Elephant Family USA Inc. agrees to pay the City a potential landscaping repair cost of $27,700 at the conclusion of the exhibition.
Throughout the course of the exhibition, Elephant Family USA Inc. will have an exhibit manager on-site daily and will provide volunteer docents during daytime operating hours, to greet visitors, and educate the public about the exhibition, and the mission of The Great Elephant Migration. Within the footprint of the exhibition, The Great Elephant Migration would install a temporary Informational booth at a strategic location, to provide a base and marked location for the volunteers to check-in. To address any potential concerns about the risk of vandalism to the elephant sculptures, or unintended damage occurring during the exhibition, staff recommends that Elephant Family USA Inc. cover the costs of overnight security to patrol the exhibition. The City will work with one of our currently contracted security providers to provide and schedule the security personnel, and those costs would be invoiced by the City to Elephant Family USA Inc. at the conclusion of the exhibition. Costs to provide two private security guards to patrol the exhibition in Beverly Gardens Park from 7:00am – 7:00pm over the total dates of the exhibition, have been quoted at $33,945.12.
If the City Council approves the exhibit, the City would accept a donation of the artwork.
At the conclusion of the exhibition, the City would donate the elephant sculptures to Elephant Family USA Inc., upon the satisfactory completion of payment for hard costs associated with the exhibition, including any landscape and irrigation restoration costs, as well as the total cost of providing overnight private security during the exhibition.
Should the City Council approve the exhibit, staff will work with Elephant Family USA Inc. to enter into an agreement for the donation, installation, maintenance, operation, and removal of the Great Elephant Migration. Through the agreement process, staff will work with Elephant Family USA Inc. to obtain all necessary permits, insurance, and implement any measures required by the permit. As part of the partnership with Elephant Family USA Inc., staff recommends permit fees and installation plan review fees be absorbed by the City. Some of the conditions that will be required in the permit include street and sidewalk closures during installation and removal of the exhibit, which will be managed and implemented by Public Works and Beverly Hills Police Department.
Engineered plans, stamped by a licensed professional engineer in the State of California, are required to be submitted to the City for review and approval prior to the installation of any temporary structures. This includes all public art installations, which must be properly engineered to account for applicable vertical and lateral loads. Each installation must be Meeting Date: May 20, 2025
securely anchored to withstand forces such as uplift, sliding, and overturning, as well as complying with Americans with Disability Act (ADA) requirements. Construction documents detailing these requirements must accompany the submittal and bear the stamp of a licensed professional engineer in the State of California to ensure compliance with safety and structural standards. The City will also prepare a notification letter to send out to all residents and businesses within 1,000 feet of the event site at least two weeks prior to the event start date, consistent with the City policy.
Installation, maintenance, operations, and eventual removal of the art exhibit will be performed by Elephant Family USA Inc. Elephant Family USA Inc. will also be responsible for the prompt removal of any part of the installation in need of refresh or repair due to damage, accidents, or wear and tear. Additionally, all insurance requirements, indemnification language, and waivers and releases, will be required and addressed in the agreement.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Great Elephant Migration agrees to reimburse the City for actual costs for the provision of overnight security during the exhibition and potential landscape and irrigation restoration. A current estimate totals $61,645.12, which includes a quoted cost of $33,945.12 for security, and $27,700 for potential landscape and irrigation restoration, due upon the completion of the exhibition.
Through the agreement process, staff will work with Elephant Family USA Inc. to obtain all necessary permits, insurance, and implement any measures required by the permit. As part of the partnership with Elephant Family USA Inc., staff is requesting permit fees and installation plan review fees be absorbed by the City.
There are no additional hard costs expected to be absorbed by the City as a result of hosting the Great Elephant Migration exhibition in Beverly Gardens Park. Elephant Family USA Inc. will donate the 100 Indian elephant sculptures to the City at no cost. Elephant Family USA Inc. will also donate their time and services to provide the installation, maintenance, operation, and removal of the elephant sculptures at no cost to the City.
Upon receipt of payment for overnight security and landscape and irrigation restoration, the City will donate the 100 Indian elephant sculptures back to Elephant Family USA Inc.
Stephanie Harris,
Director of Community Services
Approved By