Legacy Circle

Legacy Circle

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One of our greatest aspirations in life is to leave a mark—to make a difference in our community or society concerning endeavors of great importance. Through your care and commitment, you can help ensure that Laguna Art Museum has a secure future and that museum programs continue to thrive and evolve. Through Laguna Art Museum’s Legacy Circle, you will be a museum patron and arts community supporter whose contribution will be respected and recognized for years to come.
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The Legacy Circle recognizes and honors those who have included Laguna Art Museum in their estate plans with a future gift through a bequest, life insurance, or trust arrangement; or have made an outright gift to the Laguna Art Museum’s Endowment Fund. The Legacy Circle is a special group of friends who believe in the purpose and values of the Laguna Art Museum. They want to ensure it will long continue to provide the public with exposure to art and promote the understanding of the role of art and artists in American culture through collection, conservation, exhibition, research, scholarship, and education. Legacy Circle members can choose how to designate their future gift.
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How You Can Help

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Bequests
A family can create a bequest to the museum that includes a percentage of estate assets, real estate or personal property, or a specific sum of money. Bequests can be designated by each donor for specific purposes. We invite you to consult with us regarding your wishes prior to setting up your bequest – a relatively simple process for which we can help you by providing sample “in will” clauses to share with your legal and financial advisors.
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Retirement Funds
Retirement funds may be the most significant asset for many families. Individuals may name Laguna Art Museum as a beneficiary for all or any portion of retirement funds remaining when the donor passes.
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Life Insurance
A relatively small commitment can translate to a significant gift. A donor transfers ownership of an existing policy and makes the museum the owner and irrevocable beneficiary. You receive a tax deduction for the surrender value of the policy, or the annual premiums paid on the policy. At the donor’s death, all proceeds will pass directly to Laguna Art Museum. Donors who choose this approach may give all or a percentage of a new or existing policy to the museum.
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Gifts of Cash or Securities
A gift of cash can be donated to the Endowment Fund or for other purposes. As a donor you receive an income tax receipt for your donation. A gift of appreciated securities is often a cost effective way to contribute. Donors may make a much larger gift than they originally paid for, and may save capital gains taxes. Please call for more information on gifts of securities.
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Gifts of real estate – that give back to you!
There are some gift arrangements – such as charitable remainder trusts funded by real estate or other assets – that provide a lifetime of income to you and a future gift to Laguna Art Museum. This type of gift may be designed to meet your current objectives, provide immediate tax benefits, and have a major impact on the museum in the future. We are happy to share more about this type of gift and explore whether it fits your situation. All conversations are, of course, completely confidential.
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Personal Benefits

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Donors benefit from planned giving by becoming eligible for tax and estate planning advantages. Donors also benefit from knowing they are helping steward the future of Laguna Art Museum in our community, working within the tradition of the oldest cultural institution in Orange County. Specialists are available for confidential conversations to explain more fully each of these gift plans, and to assist you in meeting your financial needs and desires.
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Make an Enduring Difference!

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>> If you or someone you know is interested in donating to the endowment fund or learning more about setting up a bequest, charitable gift annuity, or other kind of estate gift arrangement, please contact Deputy Director Ed Fosmire at 949.494.8971 x211.
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Spotlight on Legacy Circle Members

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PEARL PHILLIPSON
Pearl Altman Phillipson was an extraordinary person who made an extraordinary gift.
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Pearl recently passed away at the age of 98. A retired school teacher, and long-time resident of the area, Pearl was a major supporter of Laguna Art Museum.
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An activity of one of her classes, that demonstrates the kind of person and teacher she was, was reported in the press in November 1955. Thirty ten-year old children in her class at Aliso Elementary School wrote to a pilot, lying in a coma, whose plane came down off shore in the Laguna area. After six days, the pilot regained consciousness. He couldn’t see, but he thought he heard laughing voices. Gradually the voices cleared into words. It was these childish letters, read aloud by a nurse, that the young pilot heard when he first awoke. Pearl Phillipson had suggested that her students write to him, urging him to get well.
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Before passing, Pearl made a simple provision in her will that established a bequest for Laguna Art Museum. Her planned act of philanthropy and generosity did not diminish her resources during her lifetime, and it resulted in a very generous gift to the museum—a gift of major importance to our future. The Board of Trustees and staff of Laguna Art Museum are exceptionally appreciative of her most generous support.
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RICK BALZER
Rick Balzer, a past member of the Board of Trustees, explains why he joined the Legacy Circle.
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“I was raised in Laguna Beach. My family moved here in the late 1940’s and various family members have played an active role in the community since the early 1950s. The tradition of community service and involvement really began in the early days of Laguna. The early artists and the Art Association were the heart and soul of the community then. They were active in the development of so many aspects of this community that we all enjoy today. All of us are the beneficiaries of those that came before us. Laguna Art Museum preserves and continues traditions that were begun nearly a century earlier. I can think of no better way to preserve and promote that heritage, than to help secure the future of the museum. That is why I am so very pleased to have provided for the museum’s endowment in my estate plan.”
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ANTOINETTE “TONI” AYERS
Artist, educator, and California native Antoinette “Toni” Ayres recently passed away at the age of 81. In her trust she provided a substantial gift to Laguna Art Museum.
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Toni was active in the early years of the Newport Harbor Art Museum, serving as a trustee. Her second career as an artist took her to New York, where she earned a BFA in Studio Art and an MFA in Sculpture from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. For seventeen years she called New York City home, and had a studio on the Lower East Side. Sculpture magazine featured her large outdoor piece From Here to There (1993), which she constructed of cedar wood and beeswax and designed to be entered and experienced up close. From Here to There reflected Toni’s passion for the natural world and her interest in ancient cultures.
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The museum is enormously appreciative of Toni and her planned act of philanthropy. Her legacy and enthusiasm for art will live on at Laguna Art Museum, where she will be remembered far into the future.