School sells items from Gorman estate on eBay

Anne Constable | The New Mexican

4/10/2008 - 4/10/08

Bathroom fixtures, leaded glass doors, etched windows and a steel Hopi deity are among 19 items from the Taos home of R.C. Gorman now available on eBay.

The Yaxche School in Taos bought the 7-acre property last November for $2.5 million from the estate of the American Indian artist, who died in 2005.

The independent private school, established in 1997, has about 90 students in kindergarten through ninth grade and a curriculum that emphasizes environmental awareness and social responsibility. Yaxche — which means "tree of life" in the Mayan language — is on Manzanares Street in Taos.

Proceeds from the eBay sales will be used to pay for a $500,000 renovation that will feature sustainable technologies such as wind and solar power, and a gray-water system. Parent volunteer Lisa Guttman said the board will seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification for the campus.

The property, 1.1 miles north of the Old Blinking Light intersection on N.M. 522, consists of four buildings, a field and a parking lot. Gorman's adobe house, with views of Taos Mountain, will be converted into offices and classrooms. His former art studio will house the school's art program.

The purchase price of the property included fixtures and outdoor art. The eBay sale includes: a left- and right-hand bathroom faucet priced at $4,000; etched glass doors with classic images of Native American women by Gorman and Charles Collins, $26,000; carved wooden doors from Bali, $4,500; a left-hand soap dish, $2,200; and mirrored panels by Larry Bell, $10,000.

To view the items, go to www.stores.ebay.com/Yaxche-Community-School. Guttman said the school also welcomes inquiries about the pieces. The number to call is 575-751-4419.

The downtown site where the school is currently located is owned by its original benefactor, Tom Worrell Jr. Guttman said Worrell and his wife moved from Taos and wanted to sell the land. Worrell, CEO of Dharma Living Systems, is slowly withdrawing financial support for Yaxche.

In the 1990s, Worrell invested in various historic properties in Taos, and in 2003 he opened El Monte Sagrado, a luxury resort and spa with a natural water recycling and purification system arranged around a Sacred Circle.

The school expects to move into its new space at the beginning of the next school year, when it will add a pre-K class and 10th grade.

Information from The Taos News was used in this story.

Contact Anne Constable at 986-3022 or aconstable@sfnewmexican.com.