Casa San Ysidro celebrates new book
New Mexico is full of historical gems — some of them are hidden, while others are in plain sight. In Corrales, sits the Casa San Ysidro: The Gutierrez/ Minge House.
In the early 1950s, Shirley and Ward Alan Minge took a late-19th century building and turned it into a plazuelastyle rancho to house their exuberant collection of New Mexico vernacular art.
The couple lived there for many years and then donated the property to the city of Albuquerque in the late 1990s.
And admission to Casa San Ysidro is free to the public many times during the year.
One of those is during the site’s Second Saturday series, which runs from June through November.
“We usually offer a workshop and a speaker,” says Emily Stovel, site manager. “Docents are also on site to assist guests with a self-tour of the property.”
Stovel says the Second Saturday series is much more than a public event.
“It’s a community gathering,” she says. “It’s a warm and friendly event. Casa San Ysidro usually orients the events to the interests of our community.”
Stovel says the Saturday, July 8, event will also celebrate the new collections book put out by the Albuquerque Museum.
The event is also 1950s-themed.
“There will be snacks that were popular in the 1950s,” she says. “It’s been a lot of fun planning the events. It’s about bringing the community together.
Jody Vanesky and Groove Time! will perform.
Stovel says the site is looking at adding more workshops about the community as well as offering classes on heritage arts.
“This is why people come to New Mexico,” she says. “There is a great passion to diversify. We want to offer different types of ways to learn about history and the arts. The Second Saturday series is gaining a lot of popularity, because you get access to the house and can do a self-tour.”