UFO incident city, Roswell, New Mexico, USA. Entering the gallery-style museum, overwhelmed by the space filled with artworks.
Museum of Contemporary Art in Roswell, New Mexico, USA. Roswell is a town famous for UFO incidents. Many people who come to Roswell for sightseeing probably visit the UFO Museum in the center of town. This museum is only a few minutes’ drive from the UFO Museum.
This museum is a surprising place, even if taking the fact that it is in a rural US town. Sorry for the simple description, but it is “amazing”. The “amazing” points are below.
- Specializes in contemporary art.
- Although it is a gallery-like museum, it transcends the scale of a gallery.
- There are many and diverse artworks overwhelmed.
- Artworks are packed and displayed in the space, but for some reason it does not feel cluttered.
- There are very few people visiting, so the space can be occupied.
When I entered the museum, a staff member came out from the office next to the entrance, greeted me and explained about the museum. Although it is a museum, there is no admission fee. It is like a gallery, but the artworks on display are not for sale, so from this point of view it is appropriate to classify it as a museum.
The one-story, warehouse-like building is made up of 12 partitioned sections. Modern artworks lined up in a spacious space with a height of 5 to 6 meters to the ceiling. It is not accurate to say that they “lined up”. The word “covered” fits perfectly.
Artworks were diverse, including paintings, designs, photographs, objects, sculptures, videos, and installations, and there were many pieces that caught my personal attention. It specializes in contemporary art, but there is a wide variety of art, from pop to chic to comical. I think everyone is sure to find a piece you like.
In fact, artworks on display at this museum were created through an artist residency program called the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program (RAiR). This program began in 1967, and the artists who passed the screening spend a year creating their artworks in a residence and studio set up on the outskirts of Roswell. The Foundation, which sponsors this program, will also provide stipends.
The current museum opened in 1994. The exhibition will display artworks created by artists who participated in the RiAR mentioned above, and there are said to be over 500 artworks. Of the 12 sections, about 3 had large spaces. The size of the room is 20m x 10m.
The walls were filled with artworks, but it seemed like they were consciously arranging similar artworks, so it did not feel out of place. One technique for displaying artworks in museums is to limit the number of artworks placed in a space, but I think the unconventional method of filling the space with artworks is a result of the good taste of the person exhibiting it (of course, although there are restrictions on exhibition space).
In a quiet space with no visitors, I felt “overwhelmed” by placing myself in a space filled with this artworks. I would like you to sit on the sofas set up throughout the room and experience this “overwhelming” feeling.
There is another museum in Roswell called the “Roswell Museum”, which is a combination of an art gallery and a museum. Colorful artworks mainly by local artists stood out. I hope you will also visit this museum.
Visited in 2023.
Basic Information
■ Name：Anderson Museum of Contemporary Art
■ Address : 409 E College Blvd, Roswell, USA
■ Homepage：https://www.rair.org/about-amoca
