Li Bingbing, Lily Tomlin and Loree Rodkin join a powerful cast of celebrity supporters and artists amassing to save the Asian elephant during Elephant Parade: Welcome to America.
After stops in London, Milan, Amsterdam and Singapore, The Resorts of Dana Point will now host the US debut of the international open-air art exhibition featuring dozens of colorfully decorated life-sized baby elephant sculptures.
From international film stars and Hollywood legends, to jewelry designers and fashion icons, this grassroots movement turned global crusade has corporate and celebrity supporters focused on the future of the endangered Asian elephant.
“We are thrilled to welcome Li Bingbing, Lily Tomlin and Loree Rodkin onboard for the American debut of Elephant Parade,” said Mike Spits, co-founder of Elephant Parade. “Their passion for conservation is inspiring and we look forward to unveiling their elephants in Dana Point.”
Once the ten-week exhibition in Dana Point is complete, the custom artworks will be auctioned with proceeds benefitting The Asian Elephant Foundation and supporting a variety of preservation programs across Asia.
International Film Star Li Bingbing is well known for role in her achievements both on and off the screen. Throughout her life, Bingbing has been involved in charitable efforts through her work as an UNEP Goodwill Ambassador and WWF Earth Hour Global Ambassador. Bingbing, who has starred in a number of high-profile English-language films including Resident Evil, The Forbidden Kingdom, and the upcoming Transformers sequel, joins Elephant Parade to raise international awareness about the plight of the Asian elephant.
Lily Tomlin, an Oscar nominee and one of America’s iconic comediennes, continues to venture across an ever-widening range of media, starring in television, theater, motion pictures, animation and video. In 2013, Tomlin narrated the HBO documentary An Apology to Elephants, a film that explores the abusive and inhumane treatment of captive elephants. The film also demonstrates the elephants’ importance to ecosystems and the dangers facing wild elephants worldwide, including habitat destruction and tusk poaching.
Loree Rodkin blurs the lines between modern and medieval with her visionary approach to jewelry design. Her old-world artisans have handcrafted specialty pieces for countless Hollywood stars including Cher, Lady Gaga and Madonna. Rodkin made history when she designed First Lady Michelle Obama’s inaugural jewelry, pieces set for permanent display in the Smithsonian.
Previous top-tier supporters include Katy Perry, Isaac Mizrahi, Tommy Hilfiger, Goldie Hawn, Diane von Furstenberg, and Joss Stone, among many others. The exhibition is also launching two other events this summer in Trier-Luxembourg and another touring over 14 major cities across the United Kingdom.
Elephant Parade was founded in 2006 by father and son team, Marc and Mike Spits. While on holiday in Thailand, Marc was introduced to a baby elephant named Mosha, who became the world’s first elephant to be fitted with a prosthetic limb after stepping on a landmine. Her inspired journey helped build the foundation for the socially-conscious business enterprise, Elephant Parade.
“We’ve created a social enterprise built on a successful model of art, business and charity resulting in very tangible, timely preservation efforts,” commented Mike Spits, co-founder of Elephant Parade. “If we don’t take action now, the Asian elephant could become extinct in just a few short decades.”
Proceeds from Elephant Parade full size exposition statue sales and an additional 20% of the Elephant Parade net profits are donated to The Asian Elephant Foundation, which financially supports and actively monitors projects for the welfare of the Asian elephant.
To date, Elephant Parade has raised more than $6 million for Asian elephant conservation and approximately 8 million people worldwide have experienced the expositions.
Source: PR Newswire
