ahacollective

I've heard people say that everything they need to know to get along in life, they learned while they were in kindergarten.  Or, from their dog. I believe it's true that 5 year olds and our four-legged friends understand the basic life skills of loyalty, sharing, unconditional love, and a natural sense of wonderment for the simple, but special things;  hugs, treats, summer days, shooting stars, pats on the back, and naps curled up in a favorite blanket. As we grow up, there's less time for naps, and we've busied ourselves with jobs, bills, groceries, and all the other grown up things that often leave us too hectic to wish on shooting stars.  I find myself far from my sweet kindergarten days, and even further from the tail wagging, glad to see you, loyal attitude of our furry friends. Some days, my overstimulated brain is just too stressed to appreciate the small, happy things.

Wishing for a nap, instead I jump in my car with plans of marking one more thing off my never ending to do list. I turn on the radio and scramble the stations, landing on The Beatles singing All You Need Is Love. My ears perk up at the recognizable tune, but it is my attitude that perks up as I sing along. Then all of a sudden it happens. I find myself in the moment. My heart feels happy. I have temporarily forgotten about my to do list. I turn the radio up, roll down the window. The crisp January air makes me think of popsicles, and I find myself craving the banana flavored twin pops I loved so much as a kid. Unintentionally, my mind wanders backward to lazy childhood summers. All of a sudden, every single memory is, Truly. Madly. Deeply. In an 'ah-ha' moment I realize  that everything I need to know in this life can be learned from a love song. Love Will Keep Us Together. As soon as I pick up popsicles at the grocery store, I'm going home to take a nap. Betcha, By Golly, Wow.

 A salon style exhibit features art displayed in a non-conventional manner, often stacked in no particular order,  from floor to ceiling. Quite opposite the standard 'all in a row evenly spaced' gallery style display commonly seen in most galleries and museums.

Although the popular French Salon shows were government juried and considered a regal event in the early 1700s, it wasn't until 1863 that an uproar took place as a result of a conservative jury's lack of appreciation for  the non-traditional styles of the Impressionistic painters. That year, the jury members with their taste for the traditional rejected a disproportionate amount of impressionistic works for display.  To unruffle the feathers of the multitude of regular participants that were rejected, Napolean III made a democratic move when he implemented an entirely separate show (the Salon des Refuses), which was held on May 17 in 1863. From that date forward, continuing throughout the 1800s, the artists we know from our art history lessons as the 'The Impressionists'  held their own independent exhibitions. This was the beginning of the avant garde movement.  

In 1881, the government officially bowed out of their sponsorship of the annual Salon exhibits, turning the event over to the Société des Artistes Français, which is still in existence today, and continues to organize the annual "Salon des Artistes Français".

Artists, who left an impression on the world in more ways than one.