The AMS has reopened the new Gallery in the space once held by the Perch.
In 1979, the Student Administration Commission started turning the SUB Art Gallery into a temporary lounge for the first two months of class. They didn’t anticipate the space morphing and expanding into the hub that eventually became the Gallery lounge. Back when the space was being utilized as an art gallery, students voiced concerns that it was being used by too small a fraction of the student population — a feeling that was echoed 30 years later with the introduction of The Perch.
Review: Gallery 2.0 has a new look but the rest is familiar
This reoccurring sentiment as well as financial concerns spurred a series of inquires by the AMS into what the student body wanted from the Perch space. In March, a referendum to resurrect the old gallery passed. The results of a survey gave the AMS additional cues as to what students wanted in the Nest. Suggestions led to the opening of a new bubble tea shop in the place of the Lowercase, and the pancakes that will soon be on the Flipside's menu. Certain answers also led the AMS in the direction of the Gallery 2.o.
“Two of the most major pieces of feedback we got was that in The Nest, students wanted to see more lounge and study space,” said AMS President Ava Nasiri.
On June 27, the Gallery 2.0 was opened where The Perch once stood. Although the names are similar, the Gallery 2.0 is not to be thought of as a replacement for the existing AMS Hatch Gallery.
“The Gallery 2.0 is almost like a temporary space in the way that it is right now ... we basically wanted to bring back the look and feel and vibes, if you will, of the old gallery lounge and thought it would make sense to call it 'Gallery 2.0' in its current iteration," said Nasiri.
The space as it currently stands is not necessarily the final product — Nasiri refers to the name Gallery 2.0 as a "working title." The AMS is still open to suggestions and is even considering renovations later in the year.
“We’re open for feedback and consultation from students. If students come back in September and say 'oh this is great, but we’d like to see XYZ in here as well' — it’s not a closed conversation.”
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