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 Planned gifts secure the Walker Art Center for future generations. In September 1991 the Board of the Walker Art Center established the Legacy Circle to honor and recognize those donors who have remembered the museum in their wills and financial plans. Since its founding, the Legacy Circle has received generous support from dedicated friends who have recognized the need to ensure access to the Walker for future generations. You do not need to be wealthy to leave a legacy, as there are many options for planned giving to the Walker. The following are examples of ways you may make a charitable donation through planned giving and become a Legacy Circle member: 1. Include a gift to the Walker in your will or revocable trust. You may wish to leave the Walker a bequest for a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your estate. Your gift could include cash, stock, bonds, or personal property. The Walker could also be named to receive the remainder of your estate or as a contingent beneficiary, if other beneficiaries do not survive you. Your estate receives a charitable deduction for your bequest to the Walker. 2. Designate the Walker as a beneficiary in your retirement plan. Retirement plan assets may be subject to very high taxation rates at your death. Designating the Walker to receive retirement plan assets can provide an important gift at considerable tax savings. 3. Name the Walker as a beneficiary or owner of an existing life insurance policy or purchase a new policy to benefit the Walker. 4. Establish a life income trust that enables you to receive income for life while making a gift to the Walker. This type of planned gift allows you to obtain an income tax deduction, reduce your estate taxes, and protect your financial security during your lifetime. 5. Assign tax-advantaged gifts of securities, property, or art to be made over time, during your lifetime. 6. Designate a gift of art that the Walker has agreed to accept. In addition to potential tax benefits, Legacy Circle members also receive special Walker benefits that include: - Exclusive invitations to museum events and programs, - Recognition on the Walker's donor panel (if desired), and - Recognition in the Annual Report and in other institutional publications (if desired). Planned gifts help support the Endowment Fund, which has long been the financial driver for the Walker's budget and has allowed the institution to flourish artistically as well as become a model in the museum field. The principal of the Endowment Fund is invested to increase over time, and the Walker uses the income it produces to support its general operations and innovative, multidisciplinary programming. Your gift can also support the Walker's general operation or be applied to particular programs or art acquisitions. New work and new scholarship are expensive to produce and support, but planned gifts from Legacy Circle members ensure that artistic excellence will continually be upheld at the Walker. Another way to create a permanent legacy at the Walker is through the bequest of art. A promised gift that the Walker has agreed to accept adds breadth and depth to the collection. We encourage you to join with the Legacy Circle and help sustain the financial foundation of the Walker for generations to come. Christopher Stevens would be pleased to answer any questions you may have regarding planned gifts to the Walker Art Center and membership in the Legacy Circle. For more information, call 612.375.7654, or e-mail christopher.stevens@walkerart.org. Ensuring Artistic Growth “I first became acquainted with the Walker during my childhood, and I’ve visited many times over the years, both for the permanent collection and various special exhibitions or programs," says Denise Engebretson. “I’ve always been impressed with the variety and quality of art available to me at the Walker, and the new facility is an exciting progression in what the Walker brings to the community. It provides spaces for each of the artistic disciplines to flourish under one roof and gives the center an opportunity to connect with a broader audience. I’m pleased to support these efforts through my bequest.” |
  
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Michelangelo Pistoletto, Three Girls on a Balcony, 1962-1964 Gift of Mrs. Julius E. Davis Denise Engebretson  |