In the area between the Roswell Museum and the Roswell Convention & Civic Center.

On October 19-20, nearly six inches of rain fell on Roswell in the span of a few hours overnight, causing widespread damage and devastation. Two people died, 300 were rescued from floodwaters. The Spring River rose overs it bank by several feet and flooded much of downtown Roswell.

Fortunately, the Anderson Museum did not experience any floodwater inside the building, both the RAiR compound at Howard Cook Rd, and the Historic Studios at Berrendo Road were unharmed as well. The Roswell Museum, situated alongside the Spring River, was devastated. Over four feet of floodwater made its way inside the Roswell Museum, ruining floors, and walls, office infrastructure, and damaging a significant part of the their collection of artworks and historical artifacts.

The rebuilding of the Roswell Museum and restoration efforts of its collection will take a long time. In the meantime, The RAiR exhibitions of current artists-in-residence, traditionally held at the Roswell Museum, will be held at the Anderson Museum, beginning on December 6 (see other news item for more info).

Anderson Museum staff were also affected, with two staff members’ homes getting flooded and Bone Springs Art Space getting basement flooding. AMoCA was closed for several days while RAiR and AMoCA staff members and some current and former artists-in-residence turned out in the days following the flooding to help with the Roswell Museum cleanup and to help with others whose homes and studios were flooded. The Anderson Museum served as a staging area for some valuable artworks that were removed from the Roswell Museum by staff shortly after the storm.

You can read more about the Roswell Museum’s damage in a statement by the Roswell Museum Director Caroline Brooks.

Donations can be made at the Roswell Museum Foundation link.

Roswell Flash Flood of October, 2024