Situated on the corner of Fairfax Ave. and Wilshire Blvd.—the third most travelled intersection in the city of Los Angeles—the newly renovated Petersen Automotive Museum explores the history of the automobile and its impact on American life.

ArtCenter’s relationship with the Petersen Museum dates back more than 20 years (the museum was founded in 1994) and was formalized when the College aided the Petersen in establishing the former Southern California Automotive Design Studio exhibit in 2009, showcasing how Los Angeles-based designers rose to become some of the most important and influential designers in the global marketplace.

Renovated in 2014, the Petersen now features a 2,000 square foot ArtCenter satellite studio with two classroom environments that replicate those at the College’s landmark campus in Pasadena. In the Traditional Media studio, students use essential design tools to begin the design process and in the New Media studio students use digital tools and technologies to bring their designs to life.

The ArtCenter studio is an active learning space where current Transportation Design students interact with museum attendees and demonstrate different components of design while working on real projects. Additionally, thousands of school children touring the museum each year will have the opportunity to learn about design and consider pursuing it as a career option.