Biography

Headshot of Nathan Jones wearing a red shirt in front of Alamo Church

Tyler Taylor is the Vice President of Collections, Curation, Conservation, and Archaeology at the Alamo. She holds a PhD in American Studies from the College of William & Mary with an emphasis on American Indian Studies and 19th- and 20th-century U.S. cultural history. Tyler’s work deals with Indigenous histories of the American West and transnational studies, and has been generously supported by the Smithsonian Institution and the Minnesota Historical Society. She combines her academic expertise with experience in exhibit and program development, museum education, and community engagement to forge connections between museum collections and the communities they represent.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Tyler is dedicated to museum work that gives back to her hometown.

Selected Experience

Curator of History, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (2018-2023)

Director of Collections & Education, The Bryan Museum (2016-2018)

Americana Foundation Fellow in Curation & Conservation, Bayou Bend Collection & Gardens (2015-2016)

Selected Exhibitions, Publications, and Presentations

Traditional Cowboy Arts Exhibition & Sale, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 2018-2023.

“Museums, Values and Firearms.” Center for the Study of Guns and Society at Wesleyan University annual conference, 2023.

Western Wares, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 2022.

“Star Trek Into Darkness,” The Routledge Companion to Star Trek, Routledge, 2022.

“Reframing Narratives of the West: Changemaking as Public History,” Western History Association Annual Conference, 2021.

Caballeros y Vaqueros: Origins of Western Horse Cultures, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 2019.

Recurring Guest, Ramsey County Historical Society Podcasts, March of the Governors series (2022-2023)

“Beyond US Borders: Settler Colonialism and Native Americans in Italy,” Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Annual Meeting (2018)

“American Empire in Italy: Italian Reactions to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show,” Southern American Studies Association Biennial Conference (2017)

“Native History as Told by Hollywood: Ethan Hawke’s Indeh and Entertaining with Native History,” Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association Annual Conference (2016)

Professional Qualifications

M.A. History with specialization in Public History, Texas State University

B.A. History, Philosophy Minor, Texas State University

Professional Memberships

American Association for State and Local History

Western Historical Association

Museums as Progress Community

Texas State Historical Association

Texas Association of Museums