diff --git a/widgets/coreWidget/CoreWidget.cc b/widgets/coreWidget/CoreWidget.cc
index d3671c227ff0428167e7f0ff32762d62c8871c74..f3a433e4d05501276971f2f9fe95142297e3f950 100644
--- a/widgets/coreWidget/CoreWidget.cc
+++ b/widgets/coreWidget/CoreWidget.cc
@@ -226,9 +226,7 @@ CoreWidget( QVector<ViewMode*>& _viewModes,
     glViewer* examinerWidget = new glViewer(glScene_,
 					    glWidget_,
                                             PluginFunctions::viewerProperties(0),
-					    centerWidget_,
-                                            "Examiner Widget",
-                                            statusBar_);
+					    centerWidget_);
 
     examiner_widgets_.push_back(examinerWidget);
 
@@ -244,9 +242,7 @@ CoreWidget( QVector<ViewMode*>& _viewModes,
       glViewer* newWidget = new glViewer(glScene_,
 					 glWidget_,
                                          PluginFunctions::viewerProperties(i),
-					 centerWidget_,
-					 "Examiner Widget",
-           statusBar_);
+					 centerWidget_);
 
       examiner_widgets_.push_back(newWidget);
 
@@ -291,6 +287,9 @@ CoreWidget( QVector<ViewMode*>& _viewModes,
             this, SLOT(dropEvent(QDropEvent* )));
     connect (examiner_widgets_[i], SIGNAL(signalMakeActive ()),
              this, SLOT(slotActivateExaminer()));
+
+    connect (examiner_widgets_[i], SIGNAL(statusMessage(QString, int)),
+             statusBar_, SLOT(showMessage(const QString&, int)));
   }
 
 
diff --git a/widgets/glWidget/QtBaseViewer.cc b/widgets/glWidget/QtBaseViewer.cc
index b8b193b9c2a3d36f156451643e93421191a0df27..3a4305adbff02a24a8a54c32df5ae7813f4cf168 100644
--- a/widgets/glWidget/QtBaseViewer.cc
+++ b/widgets/glWidget/QtBaseViewer.cc
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@
 #include <QLayout>
 #include <QPushButton>
 #include <QLabel>
-#include <QStatusBar>
 #include <QImage>
 #include <QColorDialog>
 #include <QFileDialog>
@@ -122,11 +121,8 @@ static const char          VIEW_MAGIC[] =
 glViewer::glViewer( QtGLGraphicsScene* _scene,
                     QGLWidget* _glWidget,
                     Viewer::ViewerProperties& _properties,
-                    QGraphicsWidget* _parent,
-                    const char* /* _name */ ,
-                    QStatusBar *_statusBar) :
+                    QGraphicsWidget* _parent) :
   QGraphicsWidget(_parent),
-  statusbar_(_statusBar),
   glareaGrabbed_(false),
   projectionUpdateLocked_(false),
   blending_(true),
@@ -137,7 +133,7 @@ glViewer::glViewer( QtGLGraphicsScene* _scene,
 {
 
   // widget stuff
-  createWidgets(_statusBar);
+  createWidgets();
 
   // bind GL context to GL state class
   glstate_ = new ACG::GLState();
@@ -221,15 +217,6 @@ glViewer::sizeHint() const
   return QSize( 600, 600 );
 }
 
-
-//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-
-void glViewer::setStatusBar(QStatusBar* _sb)
-{
-  statusbar_ = _sb;
-}
-
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
@@ -1257,10 +1244,8 @@ void glViewer::actionPasteView()
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 void
-glViewer::createWidgets(QStatusBar* _sb)
+glViewer::createWidgets()
 {
-  setStatusBar(_sb);
-
   // Construct GL context & widget
 
   wheelZ_=new ACG::QtWidgets::QtWheel( 0,"wheel-z",ACG::QtWidgets::QtWheel::Vertical);
@@ -1940,10 +1925,9 @@ void glViewer::slotAnimation()
   if (!properties_.updateLocked()) {
     msecs += frame_time_;
     if (count >= 10 && msecs >= 500) {
-      assert(statusbar_!=0);
       char s[100];
       sprintf( s, "%.3f fps", (1000.0 * count / (float)msecs) );
-      statusbar_->showMessage(s,2000);
+      emit statusMessage(s,2000);
       count = msecs = 0;
     }
     else
@@ -2034,14 +2018,13 @@ void glViewer::snapshot()
    bool rval=snapshot.save(fname,format.toUpper().toLatin1());
 
 
-   assert(statusbar_!=0);
    if (rval)
    {
-     statusbar_->showMessage(QString("snapshot: ")+fname,5000);
+     emit statusMessage (QString("snapshot: ")+fname,5000);
    }
    else
    {
-     statusbar_->showMessage(QString("could not save snapshot to ")+fname);
+     emit statusMessage (QString("could not save snapshot to ")+fname);
    }
 
 }
diff --git a/widgets/glWidget/QtBaseViewer.hh b/widgets/glWidget/QtBaseViewer.hh
index 0efd942034d4771f9aec68ee99eb07f6ce6dcaca..4480514b9eeaa0ce923504f288babd4ada23b911 100644
--- a/widgets/glWidget/QtBaseViewer.hh
+++ b/widgets/glWidget/QtBaseViewer.hh
@@ -78,7 +78,6 @@
 
 class QPushButton;
 class QToolButton;
-class QStatusBar;
 class QSplitter;
 class QTimer;
 class QImage;
@@ -129,9 +128,7 @@ public:
   glViewer( QtGLGraphicsScene* _scene,
             QGLWidget* _glWidget,
             Viewer::ViewerProperties& _properties,
-            QGraphicsWidget* _parent=0,
-            const char* _name=0,
-            QStatusBar *_statusBar=0);
+            QGraphicsWidget* _parent=0);
 
   /// Destructor.
   virtual ~glViewer();
@@ -144,12 +141,6 @@ public:
 
   virtual QSize sizeHint () const;
 
-  /** Set status bar.
-      Sets the \c QStatusBar widget that is used for information
-      output, e.g. the frame rate of the rotation animation.
-  */
-  void setStatusBar(QStatusBar* _sb);
-
   /// Makes this widget the current widget for OpenGL operations.
   virtual void makeCurrent();
   /// Swaps the screen contents with the off-screen buffer.
@@ -164,6 +155,8 @@ public:
   signals :
     void functionMenuUpdate();
 
+    void statusMessage (const QString & message, int timeout = 0);
+
   public:
 
   /// Enable/disable mouse tracking (move events with no button press)
@@ -450,7 +443,7 @@ private:
   glViewer& operator=(const glViewer&);
 
   // create widgets
-  void createWidgets(QStatusBar* _sb);
+  void createWidgets();
 
   /* Recursively draws each node in the scene graph.
       Called by paintGL(). */
@@ -491,9 +484,6 @@ protected:
   // helper
   bool                         isRotating_;
 
-  // current status bar
-  QStatusBar* statusbar_;
-
 
 //---------------------------------------------------------------- private data
 private: