Art Installation on N. Wyoming Lawn

When traffic slows at the corner of N. Wyoming Avenue and Twin Oak Drive, it’s not due to road repair or maintenance, but due to construction of another sort. Since the end of June, Ken and Becky Kurson have had a sculpture in their yard that has become the buzz of the neighborhood.

The artwork, which is made of PVC pipe, is the work of Dale Jacobs, a psychiatrist from Morristown, who is Ken Kurson’s uncle. According to Becky Kurson, Jacobs has been crafting such works for the past few years. He began the process in the Kursons’ yard by planning where the pipes would go. Then he pounded bamboo posts into the ground. “It was actually very touching to watch Aunt Renee, his wife, very calmly holding the posts steady while he pounded them in,” recalls Becky. “It was like a snapshot of their long and happy marriage.” The posts support the PVC pipes, which are also rooted in the ground.

The Kurson family, which includes teacher Becky, writer and political consultant Ken, and three children, has lived in town for three years. “We absolutely love South Orange,” said Becky, before explaining how the family came by the sculpture.

“We’ve seen the sculptures that [Jacobs] had made at his home, and he came over one day and made one for us. It was a nice surprise—I had been at a long teaching in-service day, and when I pulled up, I saw my son running around in delight as his wonderful great-aunt built the sculpture around him,” she recalled.

While the sculpture is untitled, she explains, “We think it looks like Noah’s Ark.”
“A few neighbors asked about it,” she said. “One neighbor told me that he thinks it’s just fantastic.” Kurson notes that her three children “love the sculpture.” The family also has a few smaller sculptures in the backyard, not visible to passersby, as well.

The artwork, which is a permanent installation, is clearly visible from the street. Now, the white of the PVC pipes is in stark contrast to summer’s green grass. As the seasons change and the grass fades and becomes covered with leaves and then snow, the sculpture will probably look quite different. And in each season, traffic will have another reason to slow along North Wyoming, as passersby study the Kurson family’s work of art.