Legacy Circle: Creating Meaningful Memories for the Next Generation

Andrew Satake Blauvelt and Scott Winter first met at the Walker. Scott joined the staff in 1996 to help launch the monthly Walker After Hours parties, and then served as the Annual Fund Director, managing membership and donor programs and creating the beloved Rock the Garden festival. Andrew joined the Walker in 1998; as design director and curator, he created innovative exhibitions and design projects, organized 18 years of the Insights Design Lecture Series, and managed the award-winning design studio. Today, the couple resides in Detroit, where Andrew directs the Cranbrook Art Museum.

Before their time together as staff members, Scott and Andrew shared that the Walker had always been a place of shared curiosity. “The risk-taking nature of the institution has always been a source of both delight and contemplation,” they said. “We like that the Walker brings the larger world of art and culture to the Twin Cities in such a forward-looking way.”

While on a work trip to Canada, they quietly got married before it was legal in Minnesota. Upon their return, the Walker staff surprised them with a midday reception and wedding cake. “It wasn’t easy to find two grooms as cake toppers back then!” Andrew recalled. Scott and Andrew will celebrate 25 years together this June.

Reflecting on how much the institution has been a part of their lives, they’ve decided to include the Walker in their estate plans. “There are so many ways to support an institution that has become meaningful to you,” they said. “A gift like this allows us to pay it forward, supporting the progressive cultural values that are so much a part of the Twin Cities.”

LEAVE A LEGACY

By making a planned gift to the Walker, you too can make a long-term investment in Walker programs. If you have included the Walker in your estate plans or would like more information on setting up your gift, visit walkerart.org/legacycircle or contact Michelle Poss, gift officer, at 612-375-5838.