The San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) has announced the appointment of Kristopher Driggers as the museum’s Associate Curator of Latin American Art, following the 2023 departure of Lucia Abramovich to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Kristopher Driggers. Photo by Julius Schlosburg.
Mr. Driggers is a native San Antonian who most recently held the curatorial positions of Associate Curator of Latin American Art (2022-2024) and Assistant Curator (2019-2022) at the Tucson Museum of Art (TMA). While at TMA, he oversaw the first installation of the museum’s permanent collection in its new Kasser Family Wing of Latin American Art. He also organized various exhibitions, including CUMBI: Textiles, Society and Memory in Andean South America (2023); Popol Vuh and the Maya Art of Storytelling (2023); The Story of a Painting: José Gil de Castro’s Carlota Caspe y Rodríguez (2022); Francisco Toledo: Paper Fables (2022); and Noble, Proud, Wise, Lordly: Art of the Jaguar (2021).
In a press release, Emily Ballew Neff, SAMA’s Kelso Director, remarked, “With SAMA’s extraordinary collection of Latin American Art as a cornerstone, we are confident that Kristopher’s wealth of experience and passion for Latin American art will greatly enrich our institution’s offerings and engagement with our audiences and help lead us into the next exciting chapter of the museum’s history.”
Jessica Powers, SAMA’s Chief Curator, added, “[Driggers’] scholarly expertise, curatorial experience, and profound understanding of Latin American art will play a pivotal role in shaping the future direction of the Museum’s outstanding collection of Latin American art. His insights and perspectives will undoubtedly weave compelling narratives, fostering deeper connections between our audiences and the remarkable artworks in our Latin American collection.”
Aside from his curatorial work, Mr. Driggers has also served as a lecturer at the University of Arizona, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and the University of Chicago. He received his PhD in Art History from the University of Chicago in 2020 and was awarded the Feitler Prize for Best Dissertation for The History of Idolatry and the Codex Durán Paintings. Mr. Driggers also holds an MA in Art History from the University of Chicago and a BA in the History of Art from Yale University. He is fluent in Spanish, Yucatec Mayan, and Portuguese.
Mr. Driggers commented, “Museums across the country are working to create contemporary connections with historical artworks. At SAMA, the Latin American collection includes remarkable testaments to traditions both ancient and new, and so I am thrilled to be joining a museum that is so well-positioned for exploring contemporary resonances for Latin America’s histories.”
He continued, “Having grown up in a Mexican American family living just a few miles west of SAMA, I know that the objects stewarded by the museum tell stories relevant to so many communities of the region. I am particularly excited to work creatively and collaboratively to amplify connections between the collection and San Antonio today.”
Mr. Driggers will begin his role at SAMA on Monday, June 17, 2024.
