Farewell and Thank You, Nancy

We are sorry to announce that our beloved AMoCA director, Nancy Fleming, has tendered her resignation and left the museum after more than 10 years as a director of AMoCA and more than 30 years of involvement with RAiR.

Nancy has been the face, heart and soul of AMoCA. She officially took over as co-director of the museum in 2013 and as sole director in 2015, but her actual involvement goes back for years, since she arrived in Roswell with her husband, Stephen, for his second RAiR fellowship in 1991. Stephen subsequently served as the Residency Director for 25 years, from 1994 to 2018; Nancy has therefore been involved with RAiR in many ways, official and unofficial, including a stint as interim residency director when Stephen went to Kansas City for a teaching position; and she has contributed to the development of AMoCA since the museum opened its doors in 1994.

As AMoCA’s director, Nancy’s responsibilities have ranged across every aspect of the museum, so that any attempt at listing them falls short of conveying the reality. She oversaw hanging the art work; kept up with RAiR alumni; and created an online gallery so the public can buy the artists’ work directly. She has tirelessly arranged a variety of programming, from the regular dinners for RAiR resident exhibition openings to the memorable 50th anniversary of RAiR in 2017, from concerts on the museum’s Bösendorfer piano to crafting events with local children or sales of work by local artists. Her own distinctive creativity has been reflected in everything she has done for AMoCA: her inventive invitations to museum events; books celebrating RAiR’s founder, Don Anderson; and her own art work in the collection, which transforms ordinary objects like paper clips or plastic beads into small, inviting, personality-filled sculptures. She has also greeted everyone who walks through AMoCA’s doors personally, with a warm smile. If you’ve come to AMoCA, you’ve probably met Nancy.

Nancy is a central figure in the Roswell community; AMoCA’s loss is perhaps Roswell’s gain, in that she will move on to her own creative pursuits elsewhere in town, but she will be sorely missed here. We are so grateful for the wonderful work she has done so wholeheartedly for AMoCA and RAiR for so long. Look for a fuller tribute to Nancy and her time at AMoCA in a future newsletter.

Thank you, Nancy!