PEOPLE

Founder : Natalie Rekstad-Lynn

Founder's Statement

Welcome to the Fifth Anniversary of Salon d’Arts! I am grateful to have had so many passionate people involved over the years ~ particularly the Salon artists who put their faith in an idea that grew quickly into a reality and now has a life of its own! What an extraordinary journey it’s been from inception, to where we are now - a world-class exhibition.

This is a pivotal year for Salon d’Arts. Not only will we celebrate the original foundation of the exhibition – traditional realism, but for the first time the exhibition will include non-objective work, and artworks that are bound to push the viewer’s understanding of what may be deemed as representational artwork. This is an exciting development for the viewer to experience such diversity of work, with the common thread among the genres: the search for truth and meaning through art.

It is particularly rewarding as curator to have such a wide-ranging group of artists, many of whom have artwork in renowned museum collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian Museum of American Art, Butler Institute, Denver Art Museum, and Philadelphia Art Museum. It is a testament to the growing strength of Denver’s arts identity that these artists have agreed to participate in Salon d’Arts.

The exhibition is a tremendous asset to the city’s cultural scene, offering people from all walks of life not just an opportunity to experience this collection of works, but also to learn directly from the artists. During the three-week exhibition, the gallery is open to the public free of charge. Many Salon artists give their valuable time by volunteering to speak at the adult education day and working one-on-one with kids in our outreach programs. Salon artists have a great impact and are touching lives through art.

From the perspective of a collector, the exhibition is an exciting opportunity to meet and engage with Salon’s artists. Artists from throughout the U.S. will attend the gala festivities during the third weekend of June, and Salon has planned after-hours events that are not only great fun, but also bring collectors and the Salon artists together to share their passion for art.

As a community organization, Salon has another important goal: generating awareness and funding for two non-profit beneficiaries. We are fortunate to partner with Colorado UpLIFT, an organization serving Denver’s urban youth, as Salon’s community outreach goal dovetails beautifully with their mission. The Denver Art Museum is the beneficiary of Le Jeune Salon, which will help fund the museum expansion of the Frederic C. Hamilton Building by distinguished architect Daniel Libeskind, and further strengthen Denver’s prominence in the international art world.

Thank you for participating in this milestone year ~ it has been an eventful, wonderful and fulfilling five years, and Salon looks forward to welcoming artists, collectors and visitors for many more to come!

Natalie Rekstad-Lynn
Founder and Curator