RAiR at 50: Beyond the Gift of Time

October 6, 2017 - April 6, 2018
Opening Reception: Friday, October 6, 5-7 pm
Patricia Gaylord Anderson, Entry, Russell Vernon Hunter, and Spring River Galleries

For five decades, the Roswell Artistin-Residency Program has enriched southeastern New Mexico’s creative community, an achievement recently honored with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. Founded in 1967 by philanthropist, businessman and artist Donald B. 

Anderson, the RAiR grant provides the financial and personal freedom for artists to concentrate on their creative work for a year, and has become known as “the gift of time” due to its exceptional length and generosity. Yet what impact does RAiR have on these artists once their residency ends? How does their time in Roswell continue to shape their careers and the type of work they choose to make? In celebration of RAiR’s 50th anniversary, this exhibition invites alumni of the program to share their recent art with the Roswell community. With more 

than 170 participants submitting new work, this show will occupy most of the Museum’s galleries, emphasizing the grant’s impressive scope. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about RAiR’s many recipients while discovering how their work has continued to evolve since their time with the program. Classes, workshops and other activities will also be offered throughout the exhibition, and several artists will provide original works for purchase through the Museum Store. If you love contemporary art in all shapes and forms, this show is for you.