The 2025 Design Invitational – A Celebration of Transportation Design Excellence
Major Exhibition at the College’s Hillside Campus Showcasing 50 Cars and Trucks Designed by ArtCenter Alumni and Faculty, or From Private Collections
Posted by John Grafman
PASADENA, CA – ArtCenter College of Design will present the 2025 Design Invitational, a major exhibition of 50 cars and trucks designed by alumni and faculty of its renowned Transportation Design program, along with select vehicles from private collections. An annual event first established in 2001 as Car Classic, this year’s Design Invitational will be held on Sunday, September 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Sculpture Garden of the College’s iconic Hillside Campus in Pasadena, as part of the ArtCenter’s Alumni Reunion Weekend festivities.
The 2025 Design Invitational offers car enthusiasts and design lovers a rare opportunity to explore groundbreaking concepts, iconic designs, trendsetters, new models and timeless classics. In addition to a curated exhibition of must-see cars and trucks spanning eight decades, the event will feature special presentations highlighting select vehicles, offering visitors in-depth insights into each model’s history and design. The event also offers visitors a unique opportunity to enjoy and explore the College’s beautiful campus.
Photo of the back of a 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. Designed by ArtCenter alumni Larry Shinoda and Peter Brock.
“Over the past 77 years, the impact of ArtCenter’s Transportation Design program on vehicle design has been unprecedented. Our faculty and alumni have shaped the cars we drive, the motorcycles we ride and the planes we fly,” said ArtCenter President Karen Hofmann. “This year’s Design Invitational, held during the College’s alumni reunion weekend, is our way of honoring their contributions and celebrating their remarkable influence across industries.”
2025 Design Invitational highlights include the first public, side-by-side showcase of Oilstainlab’s HF-11 and Half-11 supercars, designed by alumni and ArtCenter faculty members Nikita and Iliya Bridan; a selection of historic Corvettes, such as alumni Larry Shinoda and Peter Brock’s iconic 1963 Corvette Sting Ray; classic models, such as the 1963 Buick Riviera and 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado designed by alumnus David North; Lucid’s Gravity X Concept (Gravity Cross), an SUV redefining what a trail-ready adventure vehicle could be, designed by alumni Derek Jenkins, Jenny Ha, Jon Wen and others from the Lucid team; and the Slate Truck, the radically customizable and affordable electric pickup truck designed by alumna Tisha Johnson and her team at Slate.
The invitational will also feature a 1956 Maserati A6G Zagato and a 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint Speciale, winners of 2024 ArtCenter Design Excellence Awards at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance and The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering, respectively. The awards are presented each year by the College during Monterey Car Week, an annual celebration in which ArtCenter has participated for 23 years.
A list of vehicles scheduled to appear will be available prior to the event on the ArtCenter Design Invitational event page, though the final lineup is subject to change.
ArtCenter’s 2025 Design Invitational is open to the public with purchase of a Legacy in Motion day pass.
Photo of the Lucid Gravity X concept vehicle. Designed by ArtCenter alumni Derek Jenkins, Jenny Ha, Jon Wen and others from the Lucid team.
EVENT INFORMATION
2025 DESIGN INVITATIONAL
Sunday, September 28, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
ArtCenter College of Design (Hillside Campus)
1700 Lida Street, Pasadena, CA 91103
Registration is required.
Please use this LINK to purchase a Legacy in Motion general registration day pass ($35), which includes admission to the Design Invitational and other activities.
Admission is free for ages 17 and under, with registration.
There will also be two car-themed exhibitons on view at ArtCenter’s South campus. Cruising J-Town: Behind the Wheel of the Nikkei Community, is on view at the College’s Peter and Merle Mullin Gallery. The exhibition celebrates Southern California’s love affair with the automobile through the eyes of Japanese Americans and the community’s influence on car culture in the United States. Presented in conjunction with the exhibiton isCruising J-Town: Side Trip, which features four iconic vehicles designed by Japanese American alumni from the College’s renowned Transportation Design program.
Photo from the 2023 Design Invitational.
About ArtCenter College of Design
Founded in 1930 and located in Pasadena, California, ArtCenter College of Design is a global leader in art and design education. ArtCenter offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in a wide variety of industrial design disciplines as well as visual and applied arts. Renowned for both its ties to industry and its 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.
For more information about ArtCenter College of Design, please visit: https://www.artcenter.edu
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