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The Roswell Museum Federal Art Center

Frank Standhardt, Elevation for the Roswell Museum, September 1936

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Contents of this path:
3. Frank Standhardt, Elevation for the Roswell Museum, September 1936
6. Working on the colcha curtain 1937
8. Colcha pattern 1 Introduced by the Spanish, Colcha embroidery is a traditional New Mexican art form characterized by the use of bright, colorful patterns. During the WPA era, the Federal Art Project in New Mexico encouraged colcha projects as part of its preservation in regional crafts. This pattern is one of several templates in the Roswell Museum archive, although its exact use remains unknown, as it does not match the patterns in the museum's stage curtain. Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
9. Colcha pattern 2 Introduced by the Spanish, Colcha embroidery is a traditional New Mexican art form characterized by the use of bright, colorful patterns. During the WPA era, the Federal Art Project in New Mexico encouraged colcha projects as part of its preservation in regional crafts. This pattern is one of several templates in the Roswell Museum archive, although its exact use remains unknown, as it does not match the patterns in the museum's stage curtain. Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
10. Colcha pattern 3 Introduced by the Spanish, Colcha embroidery is a traditional New Mexican art form characterized by the use of bright, colorful patterns. During the WPA era, the Federal Art Project in New Mexico encouraged colcha projects as part of its preservation in regional crafts. This pattern is one of several templates in the Roswell Museum archive, although its exact use remains unknown, as it does not match the patterns in the museum's stage curtain. Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
11. Colcha pattern 4 Introduced by the Spanish, Colcha embroidery is a traditional New Mexican art form characterized by the use of bright, colorful patterns. During the WPA era, the Federal Art Project in New Mexico encouraged colcha projects as part of its preservation in regional crafts. This pattern is one of several templates in the Roswell Museum archive, although its exact use remains unknown, as it does not match the patterns in the museum's stage curtain. Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
12. Colcha pattern 5 Introduced by the Spanish, Colcha embroidery is a traditional New Mexican art form characterized by the use of bright, colorful patterns. During the WPA era, the Federal Art Project in New Mexico encouraged colcha projects as part of its preservation in regional crafts. This pattern is one of several templates in the Roswell Museum archive, although its exact use remains unknown, as it does not match the patterns in the museum's stage curtain. Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
13. Roswell Museum, Stage and Curtain, ca. 1937 Central view of the stage with colcha curtain. The curtain features a pattern of Maltese crosses capped with stylized roses, and eight double-headed eagles. The eagle motif, initially taken from the Habsburg double eagle, is more specifically referencing Maximilian I's coat of arms. The color scheme included shades of tan, red, green, yellow, and brown. The whereabouts of the curtain remain unknown. Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
16. Ladies Lounge, ca. 1937-1938
17. Ladies Lounge, ca. 1937-1938
18. Roswell Museum Office, 1937
19. Eddie Delgado, Tin Chandelier, 1937
20. Left to Right: Russell Vernon Hunter, Henriette Wyeth, and Paul Horgan, December 1937 Left to right: Russell Vernon Hunter, Henriette Wyeth, and Paul Horgan most likely sitting in front of Wyeth's painting "Victorian Arrangement," which was included in the December 1937 exhibition checklist. Although the museum opened in October, the official dedication did not take place until December, after the interior had been finished. Peter Hurd did not attend the opening event because he was working on a fresco in Albuquerque at the time. Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
21. Looking into the Main Gallery, with Exhibition 241, Index of American Design, on view.
22. Checklist for Peter Hurd and Henriette Wyeth Exhibition, December 1937
23. Henriette Wyeth and Peter Hurd exhibition, December 1937
24. Job Description for Rainey Woolsey
25. Work Hours for Rainey Woolsey Compared to today's 40-hour week minimum, staff members at the Roswell Museum worked fewer hours in the 1930s, reflecting limited budgets and funding. In the case of Gallery Attendant Rainey Woolsey, 30 hours a week, or 120 hours per month, was the maximum amoung allotted, with the workday lasting from 1:30-5:30 pm. The first hour would be spent preparing reports , with the gallery opening to the public at 2. Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
26. Research topics for Rainey Woolsey, 1938
27. Woolsey Report, page 1 Staff members were expected to submit reports reviewing their activities. This report comes from Rainey Woolsey, who served as Gallery Attendant between 1937 and 1938. Transcription: "The Gallery at the Roswell Museum has a new exhibition on drawing showing a variety in style and execution in ink, pencil, crayon, and chalk. This exhibition, assembled in California, is one of many arranged for the federal art centers by (illeg) in Washington, DC. In this show, Nevada and California artists are represented. Several pictures represent (something) for decoration of public buildings, those by Helen Foris and Dorothy Puccinelli are sketches for a mural....
28. Report from Rainey Woolsey, Page 2 Transcription: (First sentence illegible) “This group of drawings will hang until December 15th. Visitors to the gallery will find (illeg) “Roswell Museum Federal Art Center the First Year” by Paul Horgan. Captain Horgan won the Harper Prize of 1933 for “The Fault of Angels”, a novel. He is the author of “Main Line West”, “A Lamp on the Plains”, “The Return of the Weed”, “The Habit of Empire” and many other publications. He is librarian of New Mexico Institute at Roswell, one of state advisors for the Federal Art Project of N.M. Paul Horgan has been active in organizing Roswell Museum Federal Art Center and constantly vigilant in promoting its interests—thru the " (see page 3 for continuation)
29. Report from Rainey Woolsey, Page 3 Transcription: (First sentence illegible) “…the above article is reprinted from the Golden Anniversary of the Roswell Daily Record for October 3, 1938. Captain Horgan is chairman of the recently organized “Roswell Friends of Art” this function of this group is to further the interest of and bring together those who might enjoy art activities at Roswell Museum Federal Art Center. On Wednesday nite December 7 the Archaeological and Historical Society younger members will sponsor a game party at the museum. The idea being to bring your table and game for fun and the museum. Pay a small fee—refreshments will be served during the evening.” (see page 4 for conclusion)
30. Report from Rainey Woolsey, Page 4 Transcription: “There will be a meeting open to the public Monday nite at 7:30 o’clock at the Roswell Museum for the purpose of discussing the work shop plan and to enroll those interested. Mr. Marfyak and Mr. Slifkin artists from the New York City Federal Art Project are here for several months to establish and teach classes for children and adults. Mr. Marfyak and Mr. Slifkin will be present Monday nite and invite your cooperation-” (end of document)
31. Note from Second Grade Class at East Side School to Rainey Woolsey, n.d. This note represents one of the few direct responses from visitors to the museum, in this instance a class of second graders. Rainey Woolsey worked at the Roswell Museum as a gallery attendant between 1937 and 1938. Transcription: "Dear Mrs. Woolsey, We liked our visit at the museum. We learned many interesting things. We thank you for inviting us. Second Grade East Side School." Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
32. FAP Exhibition #241, Index of American Design, with local antiques exhibit, 1938
33. Acceptance/Rejection Form for Local Flower Show, 1938
34. Letter from J.R. Whiteman to Roland Dickey, 1938 Whiteman was a local artist who painted posters and other signage for the Roswell Museum. Dickey would supply him supplies and instructions. Transcription: "Dear Roland, am sending some of the posters--suppose this is the right size? Since I have moved I can't find any more paper--may be out. Can you send 12 cards for the last posters. Hope these will suffice--or sumpin! Sincerely, JRW." Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
35. Side Gallery with religious art exhibition, 1938-1939 In response to complaints about dominating the primary exhibition space, director Roland Dickey curated an exhibition of religious art in the smaller gallery, allowing local sponsors to work in the main space. As director, Roland Dickey often felt frustrated with the sponsor's differing interests, and expressed a sense of self-satisfaction in a December 30, 1938 letter to State FAP Director Russell Vernon Hunter: “The room looks nicer than it ever has, and they [the Sponsors] like it. ” As an example of the often one-sided nature of the archive, we do not have any correspondence from the sponsors themselves explaining how they felt about the gallery spaces. Since everything we know about them comes through the perspective of the FAP staff, we are getting a vantage that privileges FAP objectives rather than local ones. Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
36. New Mexico Military Institute cadets attending an exhibition of Daumier Lithographs, 1939
41. Government Bill of Lading for Drawings from California
45. Note from Second Grade Class at East Side School to Rainey Woolsey, n.d. This note represents one of the few direct responses from visitors to the museum, in this instance a class of second graders. Rainey Woolsey worked at the Roswell Museum as a gallery attendant between 1937 and 1938. Transcription: "Dear Mrs. Woolsey, We liked our visit at the museum. We learned many interesting things. We thank you for inviting us. Second Grade East Side School." Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
46. Visitor Sign-In Book Page, October 29, 1938
47. Left to Right: Tomas Sapiens and Gregorio Dominguez, 1939
53. Cover for promotional brochure about the Roswell Museum, 1939
61. Martha Kennedy, Melrose Art Center Holiday Card
62. Workshop Announcement, 1938-1939 Although education constituted a significant part of the Federal Community Art Center Project, the Roswell Museum did not begin offering classes until late 1938, as the original building included no classrooms. During the first year, the museum provided educational activities through lectures and gallery talks while it secured several spaces around town for classroom use. By late 1938, the museum's first studio instructors had arrived, John Marfyak and Abraham Slifkin, both on loan from the New York Art Project. They remained in Roswell until the spring of 1939. Courtesy of the Roswell Museum and Art Center archive.
63. Student with artwork, 1939
64. Request for Treatment of Injured Employees
67. Basic Museum layout
68. Founders Gallery, 2018
70. Aston Collection of the American West
71. Goddard workshop
72. The Robert H. Goddard Planetarium

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The Community Art Center Project
Overview

The Community Art Center Project developed out of the New Deal, a group of federal initiatives, programs, and reforms intended to ease financial hardships stemming from the Great Depression. Established in 1935 and supervised by the Federal Art Project (FAP), community art centers endeavored to provide rural and other underserved communities with the type of art access readily available in metropolitan areas, offering free exhibitions, art classes, and special programs. Unlike museums or commercial galleries, art centers were not collections-based institutions but acted as touring venues and activity spaces. Dozens of art centers opened in more than 20 states during the program's duration, with the majority concentrated in the American South and Southwest. While most of these art centers closed during World War II, the Roswell Museum and several others survived by evolving into new institutions. The only true New Deal-era art center still in operation is the Southside Community Art Center, located in Chicago.

You can access a list of known art centers by clicking here.

To open an art center, a civic group such as a historical society or local government submitted an application demonstrating sufficient communal interest and financial funding. Approved applications received staffing and equipment from the FAP. While some centers such as the Roswell Museum operated in new buildings specially designed as gallery spaces, most occupied empty shops and other vacant structures already available within the community.

Founding of the Roswell Museum

The Roswell Museum developed through a collaboration between the Federal Art Project and the Chaves County Archaeological and Historical (A&H) Society, now known as the Historical Society for Southeast New Mexico. The A&H Society initially developed the idea of creating a museum because it needed a permanent home for its artifact collection, at that time displayed in the public library. In November 1935, the Society met with Roswell’s Mayor, the City Manager, and the State WPA administrator to discuss constructing a museum building. Frank M. Standhardt (1913-1978) served as architect, and the WPA provided funds, which the A&H Society augmented through additional fundraising. Standhardt used a historicized, Spanish Colonial Revival aesthetic for the building, reflecting the A&H Society's focus on New Mexico history while echoing regional movements such as the Pueblo Revival of Santa Fe.

In many ways, Roswell was an ideal site for a community art center. Founded in the nineteenth century, Roswell was an agricultural center, with ranching being one of its largest industries during the 1930s. It was the second largest city in New Mexico, with a population of 12,500 in 1938, but it remained relatively isolated, with Santa Fe and Albuquerque being 200 miles away. Unlike other New Mexico towns such as Taos, moreover, which already had established art communities by the early twentieth century, Roswell's artistic scene did not develop in earnest until the 1960s and 1970s. What it did have, however, was a small, dedicated circle of individuals who were willing to put in the effort to establish a museum or similar institution.

As the building neared completion, the A&H Society realized that most of the money raised for the project had already been spent on construction, leaving little funding for furnishings or operations. At the suggestion of the State WPA Administrator, the Society offered the building to the FAP as part of its Community Art Center Project. The FAP and the A&H Society shared expenses, with the latter covering the maintenance of the actual building. In December 1938, the museum established an auxiliary group known as the Friends of Art to help cover exhibition costs.

Archiving the Federal Community Art Center Project

Archival documentation for the Federal Community Art Center Project is dispersed across multiple repositories. Many documents can be found at the Archives of American Art in Washington, DC, with the Holger Cahill Papers and the Mildred Baker papers. The National Archives at College Park in Maryland also has documents pertaining to the Project. Individual museums associated with the Project also retain documents from this period in varying degrees, with examples including the Roswell Museum, the Southside Community Art Center, the Walker Art Center, the Greenville Museum of Art, and the Middlesex County Museum. The archival memory of the Community Art Center Project then, is rhizomatic in character, with documents stored at multiple repositories existing across the country rather than in a single location, with each institution possessing varying degrees of documentation.

References

Gartler, Mark. "Rhizome." The Chicago School of Media Theory. https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/mediatheory/keywords/rhizome/. Accessed February 23, 2021.

Grieve, Victoria. The Federal Art Project and the Creation of Middlebrow Culture. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2009.

Fulton, Maurice. “The First Decades of the Chaves County Archaeological and Historical Society.” In Roundup on the Pecos. Edited by Elvis Fleming and Minor S. Huffman. Roswell: Chaves County Historical Society, 1978.

Parker, Thomas C. “The Federal Art Project as a Community Activity.” Speech presented at the art section of the New Mexico State Teachers’ Convention, Roswell, NM, October 28, 1938.

University of California, Berkeley. The Living New Deal: Still Working for America, https://livingnewdeal.org/, accessed July 19, 2018.

White, John Franklin, Editor. Art in Action: American Art Centers and the New Deal. Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, 1987.