Last fall, student journalists set out to profile some of Santa Fe’s curators and learn about what drives their work. The answer? Diversity, activism, collaboration and deep research, to start.

This week, The Santa Fe Reporter published the outcome of the recent cohort from the New Mexico Fund for Public Interest Journalism: curator profiles from SITE Santa Fe, Vital Spaces, the Museum of International Folk Art and form & concept gallery. That story, State of the Art, can be read here.

Interns Maya Aronson, Franco Romero, Tintawi Kaigziabiher and Tristan Van Cleave spent six weeks visiting galleries and museums for their stories, interviewing curators Brandee Caoba, Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, Felicia Katz-Harris and Jordan Eddy. They also worked with intern mentor Julia Goldberg on the fundamentals of interviewing, reporting and writing for publication.

Romero, Kaigziabiher and Van Cleave also appeared on KBAC’s The Big Show with Honey Harris on Jan. 8 to discuss their stories and experiences in the Journo fund program.

Student journalists receive on-the-job training, while also getting paid to learn and report. The Journo Fund will open for a new round of interns in the spring. Check nmjournalism.org for more information on this program or to make a donation to support it.