trunk show

Unforgettable elephant art installation rumbles into Houston's Hermann Park

They say an elephant never forgets. And it’s very likely that those who see the upcoming Great Elephant Migrantion installation in Hermann Park won’t forget it. One hundred life-sized Indian elephant sculptures will be on view from April 1-30.

The majority of the herd will take up residence in Hermann Park’s newest destination, the Commons. Smaller herds will be located at the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Texas Medical Center. The installation is open daily during park hours and is free to view.

Houstonians also get a chance to see the newest — and biggest — member of the herd. His name is Matt, a real life Kenyan elephant who stood 10-feet tall and weighed more than six tons. As one of Kenya’s largest tuskers, he was closely monitored by Save the Elephants. Matt was fitted with a GPS collar in 2002, revealing groundbreaking insights into elephant migration. Over his 52 years, Matt roamed farther than any other tracked elephant in Kenya, covering hundreds of kilometers. Matt died of natural causes in 2019, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inform conservation efforts.

The exhibit is part of Hermann Park Conservancy’s Art in the Park Initiative. This is the fourth U.S. stop for the installation, which was previously seen in Newport, Rhode Island, New York City, and Miami Beach. The Great Elephant Migration is a women-led conservation effort, reflecting the matriarchal structures that elephants uphold in the wild. CBS Sunday Morning profiled the exhibition last year.

Each elephant is one-of-a-kind. The pachyderms were created by The Real Elephant Collective, a community of 200 Indigenous artisans living within India’s Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in southern India. The herd is made from reclaimed Lantana camara, an invasive plant species that has entangled 300,000 square kilometers of India's forests and diminished food sources for all herbivores. The Great Elephant Migration is designed to spread a message of peaceful coexistence between humans and wildlife.

“The Great Elephant Migration is more than an art installation — it is a call to action and a place to experience joy,” said Cara Lambright, president and CEO of Hermann Park Conservancy. “By bringing this breathtaking global effort to Hermann Park, we are inviting our community to be part of a worldwide movement to protect ecosystems, eradicate invasive species, and inspire change. These are shared values that span continents.”

Parkgoers will see every elephant the artists live alongside, from female cows, male bulls (with and without tusks), and baby calves. They’ll also be part of a global awareness campaign. In addition to the pride and financial stability provided to the 200 members of theSoligas, Bettakurumbas, Kattunayakan, and Paniyas communities who created and coexist with the real wild elephants the herd is based on, the exhibit has raised more than half a million dollars.

While the installation is on display, Hermann Park Conservancy, in partnership with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and Houston Museum of Natural Science, will present a series of engaging activities designed to help people learn more about these incredible creatures. The activities will be announced soon.

Following their stop in Houston, the elephants will continue their migration west, with stops in the Blackfeet Nation; Buffalo Pastures in Browning, Montana; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and Los Angeles.

Elephant sculptures part of The Great Elephant Migration

Photo by Corey Favino, Courtesy Elephant Family USA and Newport Restoration Foundation

The Great Elephant Migration is coming to Hermann Park in April.

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Mags Move In

Shuttered Houston magazine stand finds new home at Austin coffee shop

Tomo Mags bus outside of brick-and-mortar Austin store

Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Tomo Mags is driving into a new era.

Austin's roaming newsstand Tomo Mags — which sells books out of a signature blue bus — is moving up in the world. Its new brick-and-mortar bookstore and partner coffee shop, Cielito Lindo, are celebrating their grand opening Thursday, January 22, at 411 Brazos Street, #101. A ribbon-cutting ceremony from 10-11 am with the Downtown Austin Alliance and the Austin Chamber of Commerce will mark the occasion.

Tomo Mags started in 2015 in Houston, on a decommissioned school bus. Founder Vico Puentes hit the ground running — or driving — visiting shopping centers, galleries, universities, cafés, and more. It toted artsy independent magazines about fashion, photography, design, erotica, and even some comparatively normie selections like The Economist and New York Magazine.

The journey so far has included an earlier stationary space that later closed (and another one that reopened), a pause for several years, and a "bittersweet" move to Austin in 2025.

Tomo Mags Austin interior The collection has a lot more room to expand in this new space.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

The new shop offers more of the same: a wide selection of magazines and art books alongside studio tools like pens and notebooks, merch, and fashionable accessories. It's been in a soft-opening phase since mid-December. Cielito Lindo, which opened in a coffee pot-shaped trailer in Manor in spring 2025, also kicked off its soft opening in the space a few days. Both the Tomo bus and Cielito's trailer will continue operating.

Even though both businesses are relatively new to Austin, Puentes has deep personal connections with the city.

“Before opening TOMO mags, I worked in downtown Austin for the last six years, and I’ve seen such an incredible evolution in what it feels like for the people who work and live here, as well as the visitors passing through,” said Puentes in a press release.

Tomo Mags Austin interior Cafe tables are great for flipping through new finds with Cielito Lindo's signature horchata latte.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Driving around town to make sales may sound like a fast-paced existence, but Puentes hopes visitors to Tomo can slow down when they visit, enjoying the physical experience and maybe even creating a personal art archive over time. Part of that includes getting to know the artists filling the shelves.

"With TOMO mags, our goal is to create a place people can come back to regularly to slow down, find inspiration, and leave with something special, or a gift that actually feels thoughtful," he said. "We’re already meeting people from all over the world, and we’re proud to host them and share recommendations that help them experience Austin beyond just downtown, while also spotlighting the creative community and local businesses that make this city so special.”

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