You never know what will catch your eye at Art Around the Park.
For visitors Dawn Kaplan and Steve Wagoner, it wasn’t an abstract mural or a geometric mobile.
It was a snake devouring a frog.
“I love snakes, and I love frogs,” confessed Dawn Kaplan, admiring Dawn Benko’s striking photo, aptly titled Hey Mom, What’s For Dinner. It was among the surprises that rewarded the adventurous few who ventured out on a drizzly December night for Morristown’s quarterly Art Around the Park tour.
Tuesday’s art walk marked the first anniversary of the event. This edition featured artworks at six venues: The Simon Gallery, the Gallery at 14 Maple, the Hyatt Morristown’s Eclectic Grill, Citibank, Symphony WorkPlaces and the Atrium Gallery, where that stunning struggle between reptile and amphibian is displayed.
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Dawn Benko always gets questions about that picture, which she snapped last year in Stokes State Forest. How did the former Daily Record photographer capture such a dramatic moment?
“I know the sound of frogs in trouble,” she said.
We neglected to ask Dawn Kaplan if she serves frog legs at her Hoboken restaurant, the Liberty Lounge and Grill. Her fondness for such creatures, she explained, comes from many hours of mountain biking with Steve, a contractor from Oakland.
Looking for something to do this week, Dawn Kaplan discovered Morristown’s art scene online and called Harry Simon, co-founder of the Simon Gallery and organizer of Art Around the Park.
“Harry talked me into coming,” Dawn Kaplan said.
The Simon Gallery specializes in abstract expressionists. But if it takes snakes and frogs to bring people out on a dreary December weeknight, who are we to argue?
As for Dawn Benko, she may want to listen for the sound of a frog getting revenge. We’re betting Morristown’s Famished Frog would pay big bucks for that shot.
MORE ABOUT ART AROUND THE PARK
VIDEO RETROSPECTIVE OF YEAR ONE
NOT before she come to Alaska though….LOTS of one on one opportunities Dawn! This was GREAT! You go girl…and I finally get to hear how your voice sounds ! See ya’ soon !
I think the Amazon is in your future.
I think a lot people would pay big bucks for a shot of a frog taking revenge on a snake. I’ll keep on the lookout.