Mission Statement
The Emerald Empire Art Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Fine Art in the community. The goals of this association: To provide an environment for interaction among artists and the development of creative ideas. To provide opportunity for artists to exhibit their work. To offer a variety of programs and events that teach and display art. To enrich the community through innovative outreach and in-house programs.

We wish to acknowlege and express our heartfelt gratitude for the following grants we have received towards the renovation project:

FOUNDATION GRANTS:
Rose E Tucker Charitable Trust $ 2,500
Meyer Memorial Trust $100,000
M J Murdock Charitable Trust $200,000
The Collins Foundation $30,000
Oregon Community Foundation $15,500

PUBLIC FUNDING:
Community Development Block Grant (through City of Springfield) - 1999 $149,576
Community Development Block Grant (through City of Springfield)- 2000 $40,000
Community Development Block Grant (through City of Springfield)- 2001 $35,717
City of Springfield Room Tax - 2000 $14,000
Community Incentive Fund - State of Oregon $300,000

CORPORATE GRANTS:
Washington Mutual $500
Wells Fargo $1,000
US Bank $3,000

COMMUNITY INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES: $149,557

The following narrative describes our project in detail.

EMERALD EMPIRE ART ASSOCIATION, INC.
GERLACH BUILDING REHABILITATION AND RENOVATION
GRANT FUNDING PROPOSAL

Project Description: Renovation of the historic 1909 Gerlach Building into a multi-use visual arts center: the Emerald Art Center.
The complete rehabilitation of the building will help to beautify the downtown area, encouraging the emergent Cultural District planned by Springfield Renaissance Development Corp. (SRDC) and the City of Springfield. Emerald Art Center (EAC) will bring artists, art patrons, citizens and tourists from around the state to downtown Springfield, enhance community pride, and enrich the lives of community members through participation and exposure to the arts. The completed project will extend our outreach programs to the disadvantaged, district cultural groups and further collaborations with local schools.
Renovation project goals:

¨ Provide a regional visual art center to Springfield, Eugene, and surrounding counties.
¨ Provide adequate space for EEAA‚s programs, library, and educational center.
¨ Provide ample space to expand programs and initiate new programs.
¨ Provide art-related rental suites to generate needed income for the association.
¨ Obtain sustaining certification for Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design-Existing Building (LEED-EB), from the U.S. Greenbuilding Council, Washington DC
¨ Restore an underutilized building to full use for community graphics and visual arts.
¨ Preserve the history of this building, also known as the Sutton Block.
¨ Assist in the revitalization of the historic downtown core.

Project Overview:
Phase I: Purchase Gerlach Building EEAA is be responsible for this portion with a 20-year mortgage.

Phase II: Seismic retrofit and electric upgrade This was completed with in-kind donations and funding awarded by the City of Springfield.

Phase III: Renovate building to a multifunctional art center

First floor: gallery zones, classroom, gift shop, restrooms, office, and storefront change. This portion of the project was funded by cash & in-kind donations and a $300,000 award from the State of Oregon‚s Community Incentive Fund. The first floor opened April 3, 2002. The flooring will be replaced as funding permits.

Mezzanine: elevator, elevator lobby, stairs, 5th St. entry, meeting room, storage room, exterior stucco repair and painting, and LEED-EB standard analysis. This portion is also complete.

2nd floor: four 3-room rental suites, restrooms, stairway, elevator lobby, Main Street entry to second floor with awning, exterior stucco repair & painting, LEED-EB energy and environmental implementation. This portion is in progress.
There will be some unknown expense items within this renovation project. It is an urban brownfield remodel of a 1909 building. A contingency fee of 10% was included in the completion budget estimates.

Audience
The Gerlach Building is located in downtown Springfield, a community of 50,000. Currently, Emerald Art Center s the only cultural facility in Springfield. It is adjacent to the Springfield Museum and Springfield City Hall. Access to Emerald Art Center is easy: walking distance for low-income families in mid-Springfield, free parking for vehicles, public transportation within one block, and just off the I-5 interstate corridor for out-of-town participants.

EEAA provides a wide variety of arts related services to artists and arts enthusiasts throughout Oregon. During 1998-1999 over 15,000 people took in an EEAA class or lecture or visited the gallery for special exhibitions and competitions. With the addition of its new versatile art center, and collaboration with community groups, EEAA plans to expand its operations to serve an even larger and more diverse audience, reaching beyond our area communities to include surrounding counties and eventually the state.

Oregon Community Foundation Funding Objectives
To nurture children, strengthen families and foster the self-sufficiency of Oregonians. a. provide youth with experiences that build character and judgment through recreation and mentoring.
EAC meets the objective by providing hands-on activities for youth and the opportunity to display their creative work through classes, activities and youth gallery zones. This will involve the disadvantaged youth, cultural groups and collaboration with schools.
Increase cultural opportunities for Oregonians: a. reaching under-served audiences.

Springfield and communities to the east (a large portion of which is low-income) have a lack of opportunity to participate in the visual arts. Our Outreach Program will ensure that a multicultural experience is available to the disadvantaged youth and that collaborations are made with schools.
strengthening arts organizations to achieve self-sufficiency.

EEAA has always been self-sufficient, but with expanded programs for the community, assistance is welcomed at any time.
We can then further our outreach activities to a larger part of our community.
Showcasing Oregon‚s history and culture. EAC provides a wide range of cultural opportunities in a historic neighborhood for all community members with diverse venues and community activities.

Association Needs
Although more than adequate for early operations, EEAA Board determined that the original building was not large enough to accommodate growing needs. Class size was limited and spaces within the building served several functions, often at the same time due to space constraints. Events were so large that some attendees found room only on the front sidewalk. Tables were set up in the hall for some classes due to large class size and small space. And visitors found it difficult to browse the exhibitions when classes were in session. Resuming and expanding EEAA‚s previous programs in the larger facility will provide cultural activities and education for the youth and adult
.
Community Needs Emerald Art Center is part of a major venture in the heart of Springfield to provide a more livable downtown area. This venture is the Cultural District which consists of Emerald Art Center, The Richard E. Wildish Performing Arts Theater (a 1920‚s movie house which will be extensively remodeled into a modern performing arts center), and placemaking efforts to create a public plaza to be more inviting to the community and bring cohesiveness to the Cultural District. These three projects will join the Springfield Museum, which is already thriving on Main Street, and integrate with Art Alley, sponsored by the Springfield Arts Commission. With this joint venture and the revitalization of downtown Springfield, the Cultural District will be a destination point and create new opportunities to the area which will assist in developing a safe and attractive downtown
.
There is a scarcity of high quality visual and performing arts in the public schools that can be filled by independent, nonprofit organizations. EEAA has been doing that for over 40 years with its many activities for youth and adults alike. The intent of EEAA's "Coast to Cascades" program and after school activities will enhance and fill the gaps that the public schools need so badly. An Outreach Committee is developing partnerships with other organizations and will implement multicultural programs for the youth to provide diverse visual art activities and instruction.

Programs & Activities
EEAA will continue to offer innovative programs to the community and host regional shows and workshops. These programs will provide opportunities for local patrons and tourists to enjoy the visual arts and benefit from its presence. An Outreach Committee is developing programs to include disadvantaged and cultural groups in the community. EEAA is forming partnerships with schools, libraries, museums, senior centers and park districts to provide high quality art programs to reduce duplicity among area agencies and ensure access to the visual arts by all. Scholarships will be available for those citizens who are in need of assistance.

Gallery Zones:
Guest, members & youth. Monthly Membership Meetings, Rotating Student Art, Tiles, Annual Springfield Mayor's Art Show, Classes, Workshops, Drop-in Studios, Coast to Cascades (youth program), After-school Youth Programs, Summer Youth Art Camp, Saturday-at-the-Gallery demonstrations, Library, multimedia Senior Shuttle and more.

Qualifications
EEAA was formed in 1957 as part of the Willamalane Park & Recreation District. It became independent in 1968 and obtained its nonprofit status. For over 40 years EEAA has been providing visual art opportunities for the community. During its history the association has successfully purchased and paid for two buildings, and is now committed to its third building, the Gerlach Building. EEAA has always been self-sufficient, funding all activities and acquisitions through their own efforts; no foundation, corporate or public funding was used prior to this renovation project. This shows the commitment of the association. The project is being overseen by the Board of Directors, consisting of association members, art-patrons, and community business leaders. The project manager is Artemio Paz, AIA, with many years experience as an architect and project manager. As the community learns about this project, many local leaders have stepped forward to volunteer their time and expertise. EEAA continues to have professionals volunteer their services at significantly reduced rates to assist in the endeavor to provide a cultural center for Springfield and the surrounding communities.

Results and Follow-up
The expected outcomes of this project are listed in the project goals. Its success will be evaluated by the occupancy use of the rental suites, and the number of participates to the many programs and activities provided by the building since completion. Since the first floor opened in April of 2002, many programs and activities have begin: classes are in progress, workshops are ongoing, the gift shop is open, and the gallery spaces are scheduled with member displays, The Annual Springfield Mayor's Art Show and the Watercolor Society of Oregon's traveling show.
No additional funding will be required for the renovation project since the building is completed. The mortgage and maintenance of the building will be provided by the rental income received from its rental facilities. As of October, 2007- all suites are rented.

Note: The current Emerald Art Center officers and Board members are shown on the "history" page of this web-site.

Gallery Hours: Tues - Sat • 11 am to 4 pm

500 Main Street • Springfield, OR 97477 • 541 726-8595