October 25, 2018

Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery Opens

Inaugural Exhibit, Details of Design: Beauty, Aerodynamics and Functionalism, Defines Efficient and Fashionable Mobility

College Previews the Peter and Merle Mullin Transportation Design Center

ArtCenter College of Design proudly announces the debut of the Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery and its inaugural exhibition, Details of Design: Beauty, Aerodynamics and Functionalism. Located at the College’s South Campus in Pasadena, the automotive-themed gallery is situated along historic Arroyo Seco Parkway, a major thoroughfare at the terminus of the first freeway in the Western U.S., in a college community heralded for its decades-long influence in transportation design.

Details of Design prompts visitors to examine the intricate thought process and mechanical innovation that brought into being streamlined and functional trims and finishes, chassis framework and creative bodywork on some of the most stylish and sought after passenger vehicles from the pre-war period alongside modern examples developed by ArtCenter alumni. Special emphasis is given to vehicles developed through wind tunnel testing—a historic nod to ArtCenter’s current campus experience—and the application of aerodynamic sciences, ergonomics and contemporary design principles. From experimental alloys to avant-garde shapes, these vehicles reveal key aspects of the evolution of transportation design and anticipate how automobile styling will be augmented in our future.

From the signature teardrop styling of Joseph Figoni’s 1937 Delahaye Type 135 M, to the 2016 Faraday Future FFZERO1 concept vehicle, Details of Design features six renowned automobiles that will be on view through October 2019. During the opening weekend (October 27 and 28, 2018), four additional vehicles from the Mullin Automotive Museum Collection will also be on display.

Global resource production firm The Scenic Route curated and installed the inaugural exhibit under the guidance of Peter Mullin with support from a team of ArtCenter administrators.

The Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery celebrates the long-lasting impact of Southern California philanthropists and classic car enthusiasts Peter and Merle Mullin who donated $15 million to ArtCenter in 2013—the largest single gift in the College’s history.

“We are grateful to Peter and Merle for their support of the College and for their vision in bringing this gallery to life,” said ArtCenter President Dr. Lorne Buchman. “The gallery is going to be an exquisite and inviting space that symbolizes so much of what ArtCenter is about—not only with strong roots in the history of transportation design but with future exhibits that represent all the disciplines we teach.”

“Our relationship with ArtCenter has been incredibly fulfilling and we’re honored to support new exhibition and academic spaces, as well as an endowed scholarship,” said Peter Mullin, who has been a member of ArtCenter’s Board of Trustees since 2011. “We view our relationship with the College as a natural extension of our passion for vintage automobiles and it is our hope that we can inspire the artists and designers of the future.”

In the 6,300 square-foot gallery, pathways form curving walls that organize the interior gallery, the exterior courtyard, and the parking and garden areas beyond. A key design feature along one of these curving pathways, is the 12-foot-high steel ‘fin wall’ that separates the gallery courtyard from the street, which includes a lenticular effect that engages the public along Arroyo Seco Parkway. The presence of this gallery on the street, at this historic nexus in Pasadena and the gesture of the fin wall signifies and reinforces the presence of ArtCenter in the urban and cultural landscape of the city.

The Mullin’s donation will also fund, in part, the conversion of ArtCenter’s “wind tunnel” (also located at its South Campus) into the Peter and Merle Mullin Transportation Design Center. The original building dates back to the early 1940s when it was constructed as a supersonic wind tunnel, owned by leading aviation companies and managed by Caltech, to conduct aeronautical research. Scheduled for completion in spring 2021 the cavernous “wind tunnel” will be renovated by creating three floors of classroom and studio spaces, innovation labs and full-scale fabrication facilities in service to the College’s undergraduate Transportation Design and graduate Transportation Systems and Design programs.

The design of the new Mullin Gallery and the Peter and Merle Mullin Transportation Design Center is being overseen by Darin Johnstone Architects (DJA). Over the last five years, DJA has designed and completed eight building renovation projects for seven different departments across the College’s two Pasadena campuses totaling more than 130,000 square feet of learning space including classrooms, galleries, archives, studios, labs and cafes, as well as public spaces and administrative offices.

The College now features six formal exhibition spaces at its two campuses in Pasadena. The Mullin Gallery joins the Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery, ArtCenter Student Gallery, Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography Gallery, Hutto-Patterson Exhibition Hall and Wind Tunnel Gallery—along with a number of smaller exhibition spaces managed by academic departments across the College—to ensure visitors and community members are exposed to a variety of cultural experiences.

About ArtCenter

Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is an international leader in art and design education. ArtCenter offers 11 undergraduate and seven graduate degrees in a wide variety of industrial design disciplines, as well as visual and applied arts. In addition to its top-ranked academic programs, the College also serves members of the Greater Los Angeles region through a highly regarded series of year-round educational programs for all ages and levels of experience. Renowned for both its ties to industry and social impact initiatives, ArtCenter is the first design school to receive the United Nations’ Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) status. Throughout the College’s long and storied history, ArtCenter alumni have had a profound impact on popular culture, the way we live and important issues in our society.

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Media Contact:

Teri Bond
Media Relations Director
ArtCenter College of Design
626 396.2385
teri.bond@artcenter.edu