Gathering of the Herd
May 20 – June 24, 2011
In-person Event
Work: Detroit
Exhibition
Open to the public
Free of charge
May 20 — June 24, 2011
Opening reception: May 20, 5 – 8 pm
University of Michigan’s School of Art & Design and Marygrove College’s Visual Art Department have teamed up to present the opening reception of The Gathering of the Herd at Work:Detroit. Inspired by The Human Elephant Project in South Africa, The Gathering of the Herd showcases the artwork of students from over fifteen area K‑12 schools who created four-foot tall baby elephants in collaboration with students and faculty of the two colleges. The School of Art & Design’s Detroit Connections class worked with the 5th grade class of Marcus Garvey Academy in Detroit throughout the Winter 2011 semester.
Addressing issues of conversation, sustainability and environmentalism, the elephants exhibited are made with recycled materials including plastic bags, fabric scraps, cardboard and more! The baby elephants were based on the two-ton elephant sculpture, Nomkhubulwane, who traveled across North America and was elephant-in-residence at Marygrove College and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in the Cultural Center.