Museum of the Big Bend Staff

John Klingemann, Ph.D.
Museum Director and Interim Vice President for Development and Advancement

In November 2024, Dr. Klingemann was welcomed back to Alpine as the new Museum Director and Interim Vice President for Development and Advancement, and as a professor in the Department of History. A Brewster County native, Dr. Klingemann is a graduate of Alpine High School and received his bachelor’s degree in Spanish and master’s degree in history from Sul Ross State University.

He worked with the Center for Big Bend Studies and as the Curator of Public Programs and Exhibits at the Museum of the Big Bend before enrolling at the University of Arizona to pursue his doctoral degree in Latin American History, later receiving a Fulbright Fellowship for research in Mexico.

He began as a professor of Latin American History at Angelo State University (ASU) in 2007 and was promoted to Chair of the History Department in 2014.

“John has an impressive resume, as do many of those who work up here on ‘the hill,’ but it would be disingenuous if I didn’t acknowledge that his connection to Sul Ross and the Big Bend area didn’t play a factor in our choice,” said SRSU President Carlos Hernandez. “The Museum of the Big Bend is representative of West Texas and our border culture – from history to the natural sciences to art. John knows this place and he knows the people. We are excited about where the MoBB is headed and we’re looking forward to big things.”

For the last five years, he has served as the Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at ASU, and as the Director of the Mayer Museum, a 32,000-square-foot science and culture museum that immerses visitors of all ages in the history of the Concho Valley of Texas.

Dr. Klingemann commented on his new position as director of the Museum of the Big Bend, “I thank the good folks at Sul Ross State University for providing me the opportunity to return home and continue the legacy of the Museum of the Big Bend and the university. I look forward to working with everyone on campus and in the community to provide folks in West Texas and beyond a great experience when they visit the museum and campus. I am blessed and humbled to be back in Alpine, Brewster County, and West Texas.”

Karina Canteñs 
Curator of Temporary Exhibits and Events

Karina holds a BA with a major in Art History and a minor in Philosophy from Moravian University. She is pursuing a MA in Art at Sul Ross State University and has been a practicing multi-disciplinary artist working in galleries and museums since 2018. Before moving to Texas, Karina worked at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia from 2021-2022. She completed a curatorial internship at the Allentown Art Museum, extensively researching Stephen Antonakos’ textiles and rugs. During her undergraduate career, Karina was a gallery assistant and assistant curator at the Payne Gallery in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. She curated several shows, such as “Selected Photographs from the Permanent Collection,” highlighting works by Dorothea Lang, Gertrude Käsebier, and William Gedney and co-curated “Picture This…” including artists such as Georgia O’Keefe, John Singer, and Thomas Eakins. Karina participated in Moravian’s Student Opportunity for Academic Research (SOAR) Program, researching the works of Josephine Hopper (1883-1968) and her husband, Edward Hopper (1862-1967), two prominent American painters. Originally from Miami, Florida, Karina is a Cuban-American with Spanish dual citizenship. She has traveled extensively, including spending a semester studying art in Florence, Italy. Karina is a mother to an orange tabby cat named Neo and enjoys hiking, spending time with friends and exploring new places.

Kyle McQuilkin, Ph.D.
Curator of the Davis Map Collection

Kyle holds a BFA from the University of Texas, San Antonio; an MA in Museum Science from Texas Tech; and a Ph.D. in Fine Art (Latin American Art) from Texas Tech, where his dissertation was devoted to an exploration into the aesthetics, fabrication, and culture of lowrider bicycles.. With an education in Art, Art History, Museum Science, Paleontology, Archeology, Natural History, Collections and Exhibit Design, McQuilkin has quite an eclectic background. Internships in Denver and at the Smithsonian polished skills in casting and molding, and field work, where the triangulation necessary for mapping dig sites fostered his interest in cartography. Past employment includes Exhibit Design and Collections Management at the Museum of Texas Tech, and teaching Art at the middle school level in south Texas, at Somerset ISD and Lytle ISD. Art History at Texas Tech, and dual-credit college courses in Art Appreciation in Lytle, Texas. He is a transplant from San Antonio and Lubbock with a life-long experience in West Texas. Kyle’s approach to curating the Davis Map Collection can be found in the following quote, “On a conceptual level, maps quite literally and figuratively illustrate the way in which we see our world. Too, they present that which we want the world to know about us. They ground us in place and time—a slice of history and they give bearing and relationship to the land, the people, and our neighbors.”

Kristi Taylor
Office and Gift Shop Coordinator for the Museum of the Big Bend

Kristi joined the museum with over 20 years of retail management, training, and HR experience at Talbot’s, Chicos, and J.JIll. She successfully managed multiple locations, ranging in volume from 1-10 million dollars and has been recognized for top performance, team building, field training and merchandising skills at all three companies. Most notably, Kristi was chosen as Brand Ambassador for Chicos FAS international launch where she researched the Canadian market, developed community relationships, recruited and trained staff, and oversaw three new store openings. Kristi plans to use her expertise to enhance the museum and gift shop experience by creating a truly unique and enjoyable place to work and volunteer that reflects the museum’s and region’s history and culture. Kristi believes continuous learning keeps individuals young and life interesting! She embraces these new experiences with her husband, Stephen and 2 Australian Labradoodles, Remi and Blaze.