Michael Zimmerman has sent out an update on the Evergreen Gallery. Here is a selected quote from his email "By re-purposing some existing funding and using some new sources of revenue, I have been able to sequester enough funding to ensure that the Gallery remains an integral resource for exhibits and teaching on our campus through the end of the next biennium." This means that Evergreen Gallery will be declared funding for at least the next two years! We are so excited that we were able to make this happen! Thank you to everyone who organized, signed a petition, wrote a letter, email, article or editorial! Thank you for the online posts and for making/being part of the video by Photoland! Thank you for all your actions, it worked! You voices said loud and clear, “Evergreen Gallery and the arts are important to our education!” Thank you to the administration for working this out. Our excitement, joy, and continuing dedication for Evergreen Gallery are boundless. Still of concern though, the general budget issues that were discussed in Issac Scott’s February 11th CPJ editorial. And especially close to our hearts, some of Evergreen’s art studios need added support, and budget issues are having an impact on that. You all have been so vocal about saving the gallery, and it worked! We encourage you to stay vocal, be aware, and continue to participate in making Evergreen a great place for learning, growth, and community involvement. Here is the full quoted email from Michael Zimmerman, sent out on March 11th: "Friends, I’m writing to update you on the status of the Evergreen Gallery. The good news is that the continuation of the Gallery has been assured for the foreseeable future. At the same time, steps are being taken to enhance the role the Gallery will play both on campus and in the Olympia community. Let me explain. As you undoubtedly know, as of this past July all expenses associated with the Gallery were moved onto a Foundation account dedicated to the Gallery. This was done as part of the College’s budget cutting process due to a short fall in enrollment. There was enough money in that account to ensure that the Gallery remained open and operating for 18 months with the goal being to create enough time to look for a more sustainable solution. By re-purposing some existing funding and using some new sources of revenue, I have been able to sequester enough funding to ensure that the Gallery remains an integral resource for exhibits and teaching on our campus through the end of the next biennium. The intent, obviously, is for the Gallery to be as permanent a fixture on campus as any other operation. Beginning with the start of Spring quarter, a number of changes will occur that will permit us to craft an exciting future. As Greg Mullins steps into the Deanery, he will be the administrator to whom the Gallery reports. This will permit Greg to think holistically about ways in which many resources in the Library can be more fully integrated and thus have an even more positive impact on campus and beyond. I was excited to hear Greg talk about his vision for such integration during the recent search for a new Dean. During the next two years, Greg will work closely with Ann Friedman in the Gallery as well as faculty and staff across the College to raise the profile of the Gallery, hopefully, both on campus and in the Greater Olympia community. At the same time, this change in reporting lines will free up some time in Michelle Pope’s schedule thus permitting her to pay even more attention to the operation of our visual art studios. I’d like to thank all of you who have come forward in support of the Evergreen Gallery and look forward to our continued collective work to ensure its bright future."