CREDIT: Diane Matyas

Join us on Saturday, May 20 at 1 PM for Alice the New Dorp Elephant, a visual lecture by Diane Matyas. This program will delve into the story of Alice, the Indian elephant whose dramatic escape from Luna Park in Coney Island by swimming across the Narrows to Staten Island made headlines in June of 1904.

According to reports, it was a cool and rainy evening when three Asian elephants escaped their handlers at the "Great Durbar of India" event at Luna Park in Brooklyn. Typically hundreds of performers representing India and Sri Lanka were dressed in colorful costumes, parading with elephants, horses, and camels, but the weather cancelled the event. Two of the escapees headed east and were quickly apprehended. But Alice, the only female, entered the bay and swam westward over five miles of difficult currents toward Staten Island. She came to shore on New Dorp Beach the next morning, June 2, 1904.

Artist/Swimmer Diane Matyas will present a collection of thoughts on the incident, the historical record regarding Luna Park, and art featuring animals that are hunted and subjugated. She will show her resulting series of prints and drawings, and share excerpts from noted nature and dramatic writers that preserve and connect Alice's story to New York City folklore.

Matyas' work often depicts animals in manmade spaces. Her art talk, followed by historic and folkloric tellings of Alice's story, will be a memorable event for all ages.