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More than a century ago, an elephant named Alice embarked on an epic adventure, escaping her enclosure in Coney Island and swimming about five miles to Staten Island. After having heard this unlikely story, local artist Diane Matyas felt hope, buoyancy, endurance—and artistic inspiration.
The tale led her to create The Luna Park Elephant, a larger-than-life exhibition capturing Alice's story. The public artwork is on display in Maker Park on the eastern edge of Staten Island through June 2026.
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In Matyas’s sculpture, Alice the colorful elephant perches on the side of a metal shipping container painted in blue hues evoking the Narrows she swam through 121 years ago. Visitors are invited to move Alice's legs, helping her to "swim" the very path she did in real life. Her massive body extends to 10 feet when visitors stretch her legs as if she's a shadow puppet.
Unlike a typical gray elephant, Alice is decorated in ornate orange, blue and pink designs inspired by Sri Lankan prints. In real life, Alice was owned by Frederick Thompson of Luna Park in Coney Island. Just a year before Alice's escape, Thompson became known for his public display of animal cruelty when he electrocuted one of his other elephants, Topsy, according to Untapped Cities. Alice's journey can be framed as more of an escape in this light, especially when her demeanor went from "meek and friendly, perhaps a bit hungry, but not at all threatening" to having gone on a rampage just four years later after being moved to the Bronx Zoo. Her bravery and determination to escape is prevalent in Matyas's vision.
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Alice is yet another step in Matyas’s ongoing Luna Park Elephant Project, with the next including a shadow theatre performance and new exhibitions. Follow along with the artist's Instagram for more details. Through funding from the New York Department of Cultural Affairs Art Fund and an artist residency at Maker Space NYC, Matyas is far from finished telling Alice’s story.
"By employing sculpture, theatre, and her penchant for NY Bay Open water swimming," a press release about the exhibition states, "Matyas has fused her many talents into this compelling narrative."
To catch Alice in action, find her at Maker Park (Thompson Street between Front and Bay Streets in Staten Island).