Lecture: Seeing Mesoamerican Color with Kristopher Driggers
In ancient Mesoamerican traditions, colors were rich with meaning, and artists made choices about chromaticism that infused their work with an understanding of color’s place in the cosmos. Today, new paths for exploring color have created fuller understandings of its meanings in Mesaomerica. In this talk, Associate Curator of Latin American Art Kristopher Driggers will examine how recent findings by archaeologists, materials scientists, linguists, historians, and artists have produced new visions of color in traditions like Maya, Aztec, and Zapotec art. These advances allow us to better understand the cultural context of colors like the pigment at the center of the SAMA exhibition Maya Blue: Ancient Color, New Visions, on view through May 2026.
Kristopher Driggers serves as the Associate Curator of Latin American Art. A specialist in art of the ancient Americas, he has curated exhibitions and authored publications on topics such as textiles from the Andes, Maya visual narratives, and the work of contemporary artists in dialogue with ancient American traditions. He also studies the history of the collecting and circulation of ancient American art in the United States, especially in the Southwest. Driggers was previously the Associate Curator, Bernard and Jeanette Schmidt Curator of Latin American Art at the Tucson Museum of Art, where he worked from 2019–2024. He holds a PhD in art history from the University of Chicago and a BA in history of art from Yale University. He has presented research at conferences at Denver Art Museum, Getty Research Institute, the American Alliance of Museums, and the Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, among others. Committed to sharing and collaboratively creating knowledge in his practice, he has taught art history at the University of Arizona, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and the University of Chicago. Driggers grew up in San Antonio and is delighted to curate a Latin American art collection profoundly connected to the heritage of his home city.
Become a SAMA member to enjoy programs like this all year for free!
San Antonio Museum of Art (john_s_auditorium)John L. Santikos Auditorium
Ticket Price: $5
Ticket Price Members: Free
In ancient Mesoamerican traditions, colors were rich with meaning, and artists made choices about chromaticism that infused their work with an understanding of color’s place in the cosmos. Today, new paths for exploring color have created fuller understandings of its meanings in Mesaomerica. In this talk, Associate Curator of Latin American Art Kristopher Driggers will examine how recent findings by archaeologists, materials scientists, linguists, historians, and artists have produced new visions of color in traditions like Maya, Aztec, and Zapotec art. These advances allow us to better understand the cultural context of colors like the pigment at the center of the SAMA exhibition Maya Blue: Ancient Color, New Visions, on view through May 2026.
Kristopher Driggers serves as the Associate Curator of Latin American Art. A specialist in art of the ancient Americas, he has curated exhibitions and authored publications on topics such as textiles from the Andes, Maya visual narratives, and the work of contemporary artists in dialogue with ancient American traditions. He also studies the history of the collecting and circulation of ancient American art in the United States, especially in the Southwest. Driggers was previously the Associate Curator, Bernard and Jeanette Schmidt Curator of Latin American Art at the Tucson Museum of Art, where he worked from 2019–2024. He holds a PhD in art history from the University of Chicago and a BA in history of art from Yale University. He has presented research at conferences at Denver Art Museum, Getty Research Institute, the American Alliance of Museums, and the Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, among others. Committed to sharing and collaboratively creating knowledge in his practice, he has taught art history at the University of Arizona, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and the University of Chicago. Driggers grew up in San Antonio and is delighted to curate a Latin American art collection profoundly connected to the heritage of his home city.
Become a SAMA member to enjoy programs like this all year for free!
Lectures and Artist Conversations are made possible by generous support from the Louis A. and Frances B. Wagner lecture fund.
Rattle, 600-900, Earthenware, h. 8 in. (20.3 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of John and Kathi Oppenheimer, 2023.7.90
