On Nov. 12, the Studebaker National Museum will host “Automotive Design: Past, Present and Future,” a symposium discussing the state of the art of American automobile design.
This panel discussion will focus on topics ranging from historical context, brand heritage, engineering and technological advances and the profession’s changing educational requirements.
Panelists will also discuss the changes the industry has experienced from its heyday in the 1950s to the present, as well as what the future of automobile design may hold.
The panel will feature Mark Hall, chief designer of the Chrysler Products Design Office; former Studebaker designers Virgil Exner, Jr. and Del Coates; John Houlihan, formerly of General Motors; Paul Down, a professor of industrial design at the University of Notre Dame; Donna Catalano of the Indiana Arts Coalition, and Dar Davis, automotive journalist.
The event begins at 1 p.m. and will feature two afternoon sessions and an evening hors d’oeurve reception with cash bar. Cost is $15 for museum members and $20 for non-members, which includes museum admission, both sessions and the reception.
RSVP by Monday to rsvp@studebakermuseum.org or call (574) 235-9714 ext. 231.
The symposium is presented by the Studebaker National Museum and the University of Notre Dame’s Industrial Design Department and the Snite Museum of Art.

Automobile Design in the Golden Age: The Career and Works of Theodore W. Pietsch II
July 15 – Dec. 31
This exhibit showcases works by former Studebaker designer Theodore W. “Ted” Pietsch II.
Pietsch’s career spanned the “Golden Age” of automotive design from the 1930s-1970s, including tenures with Studebaker under Raymond Loewy and at Chrysler with Virgil Exner. His resume also includes stops with Ford, Hudson, Packard and American Motors.

More than 50 works are on display from Pietsch’s long career, including some never-before-shown designs from his time with Studebaker. This exhibit is made possible by Frederic Sharf of Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Knute Rockne: The Rest of the Story
Sept. 2 – Dec. 4

Everyone knows the story of Knute Rockne’s football coaching career at the University of Notre Dame, including the 1924 undefeated team that included the illustrious Four Horsemen. But few people know the “rest of the story” about Rockne: His equally successful career as a “celebrity salesman” for the Studebaker Corporation at the same time he was “winning one for the Gipper.”The exhibit examines the relationship among Studebaker, Knute Rockne and the University of Notre Dame from 1928 until Rockne’s untimely death in 1931. Highlights will include Rockne’s duties and role with the Studebaker Corporation, Studebaker’s corporate support of the Notre Dame endowment and stadium construction.
Objects on display will include period advertisements featuring Knute Rockne, original telegrams sent to Mrs. Rockne following her husband’s death and the watch Rockne was wearing during the plane crash.

Studebaker National Museum
201 S. Chapin St.
South Bend, Ind.
(574) 235-9714
(888) 391-5600
Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m.
Tickets are not sold after 4:30 p.m.