Meet the 2024 Interns: Abiquiú
New and familiar faces joined forces for the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum’s 11th annual Abiquiú Garden Project. Under the guidance of Aagapita (Pita) Lopez, Projects Director of Abiquiú Historic Properties, Project Coordinators Josephine Dominguez, a former garden project intern herself, and Randy Garcia helmed the yearly undertaking of planting, tending to, and harvesting the beloved garden filled with the favorite foods of Georgia O’Keeffe. This year, three interns returned with two first-time interns who combined their experience and new ideas for a successful growing season.
The project allows for Northern New Mexico high schoolers to care for the garden, learning how one’s natural surroundings can play an instrumental role in fostering a healthy lifestyle, while also learning about the historic and artistic legacy of the community in which they live. Through this process, the interns gain an understanding and appreciation for the land and edible subject matter that O’Keeffe often represented in her paintings, as well learn about her keen work ethic and attention to detail.
Let’s meet the 2023 Abiquiú Garden interns:
Andrea Dominguez
Garden Intern
Andrea is a junior at Los Alamos High School. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball, softball, and riding horses. Family is important to Andrea, she has three brothers who are her best friends and she enjoys babysitting her cousins when not working. Her favorite part of the summer has been being outside and enjoying the apricots, blackberries, and figs.
Jazmine Dominguez
Garden Intern
Art student Jazmine Dominguez plans to get her degree in graphic design and art history after graduating from Española Valley High School in 2026. When she’s not in classes, she is painting, drawing, and creating her own manga—a type of Japanese graphic novel. She also enjoys taking walks with her dogs.
Gabriel Gallegos
Garden Intern
Gabriel attends Española Valley High School and returned to the Garden Project for a second year. He enjoys working at the Home & Studio because of the short morning commute, although he lives closer to Ghost Ranch than Abiquiú! In his free time, he likes to play guitar, tinker around with engines, and help on his family ranch.
Luke Gillette
Garden Intern
Luke earned his high school diploma through home schooling and returns as a Garden Intern for his third and final year. He is active with the Abiquiú Volunteer Fire Department and plans to pursue firefighting full-time. He is also an intern with the Northern Youth Project and works part-time at his family’s food stand in Abiquiú. In his spare time, Luke enjoys working out and playing video games.
Nathaniel Suazo
Garden Intern
“Nate” is from Abiquiú and will be a senior this year at Española Valley High School. Outside of the garden, Nate is a competitive bowler and recently traveled to tournaments in Chicago and Minneapolis. He also plays basketball and golf. He has enjoyed his time in the garden, where his great grandfather, Esteban Suazo, also worked for Georgia O’Keeffe when she was alive.
The harvesting has begun! Peas, apricots, and blackberries are already in season. Follow along with the garden’s progress on the live stream on our website at this link.
