Katherine Nelson Hall

Katherine Nelson Hall

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Katherine Nelson Hall is the Texas Heritage Curator for the Witte Museum in San Antonio, Texas. She has participated in the creation and curating of dozens of exhibitions since 2008; providing research, writing, and documentation. She utilizes family history and genealogical resources to link individuals and their families to artifacts, art and archival material in Witte Collections and within a broader historical context to tell a more complete story of the people.

A current project is researching the Witte Museum’s Military Collection. An 8th generation Texan, her own family military legacy in San Antonio, Military City USA, began before 1718 with the arrival of Spanish soldiers from whom she is descended. Uncovering the person behind each military object has been fascinating, and keeping and sharing that connection an honor. 

Hall has worked on numerous Witte exhibitions including: Black Cowboys: An American Story, 2021-2024;  Mi Cultura - Bringing Shadows into the Light: The Photography of Al Rendón, 2023-2024; How the West Was Fun: Circus, Saddles and the Silver Screen, 2019-2020; Confluence and Culture: 300 Years of San Antonio History, 2018-2019; Connecting Texas: 300 years of Trail, Rails, and Roads, in partnership with the Texas General Land Office, 2018; Your Country Calls: Art to Win World War I, 2017-2018; Mapping Texas: From Frontier to Lone Star State, in partnership with the Texas General Land Office, 2016; Splendor on the Range: American Indians and the Horse, 2016; The Wests of Texas: Cattle Ranching Entrepreneurs, 2015-2016.

Katherine has contributed to a number of publications, some of which received awards: First Families of Bexar County: Descendant Lineages of Residents of Béxar, San Antonio, and Bexar County prior to 1850; San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society, 2019. Contributing author and Committee. San Antonio Conservation Society Publication Award, 2021; 300 Years of San Antonio & Bexar, Editor Claudia R. Guerra. Two Essays in Part Four, Global City: “San Antonio, Military City: Early Military Settlement”; “I Like Ike.” Published by Maverick Books, Trinity University Press, 2018; Texas State Genealogical Society Writing Competition 2017; 1st Place Book Award: “The Nelson Family in WWI,” Manuscript, published in San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society, Our Heritage, 2017; The Wests of Texas: Cattle Ranching Entrepreneurs, Researcher, 2015. San Antonio Conservation Society Publication Award, 2017.
    
Hall has also held arts advisory board and committee positions in Texas and Seattle: Arbol de La Vida: Memorias y Voces de Tierra, a community public art sculpture for the Mission de San Francisco de la Espada Portal by Margareta Cabrera commissioned by the San Antonio River Foundation, 2018-2019; Alcaldes de Bexar Genealogical history, research and education project; Artist Trust, Washington State Arts Commission: Heirloom Birth Certificate; Junior League of Seattle Northwest Art Collection: Committee Chair.

Katherine Nelson Hall received a B.A. in Art History from the University of Washington, Seattle; after completing a year of postgraduate studies she moved to New York City for Sotheby’s American Arts Course Graduate Program and New York University’s Appraisal Studies in Fine and Decorative Art.   After completing both she worked for Sotheby’s Auction House in New York as an American Indian Art Department Cataloger and in Seattle as their first Northwest Regional Associate. Katherine later had her own firm as an Art Advisor and was the curator and manager for The Weatherford Gallery. She had several contract projects for the Witte Museum before moving back to her hometown of San Antonio. Hall also worked in production on PBS Antiques Roadshow for over 20 years; the last three as a Still Photographer for the show.