A new gallery at the National Corvette Museum opened last week, just in time for visitors in town for the annual Michelin NCM Bash going on through the weekend.
The 2,500-square-foot McMichael Family Education Gallery provides a state-of-the-art educational experience aimed at the next generation of Corvette enthusiasts, engineers, designers, and more.
“This state-of-the-art education gallery serves as a space to engage families, students, and kids of all ages with standards-based STREAM education, group tours, school field trips, and curriculum-based learning opportunities,” said Brian Baker, Director of Collections & Education for the NCM.
The gallery includes a special feature called Studio X that traces its inspiration to legendary designer Bill Mitchell. When he became the second head of GM Styling in 1959, Mitchell needed to find his way out of the shadow of his predecessor, Harley Earl.
A small cinderblock room in the basement of the GM Technical Center – just 15 feet by 42 feet that was open only to one sculptor, a designer, one studio engineer, and Mitchell – proved to be the answer. Inside that small room, the small group of workers generated the XP-87 Stingray Racer Special, beginning a GM tradition known as “Studio X” that continues to this day.
The Mako Shark, Manta Ray, and dozens more of the greatest Corvettes were born in these studios, and the new gallery space aims to capture the spirit of Studio X by inspiring students of all ages with design and engineering prototypes and serving as a projection theater to share stories of innovation.
The McMichael Family Education Gallery is included with Museum admission. Check out these photos from our visit to the NCM Bash.
Source:
wnky.com
Related:
[PICS] The Corvette Vanity Plates of the 2023 Michelin NCM Bash
The National Corvette Museum Announces 2023 Corvette Hall of Fame Members Elect
[PICS] The 26th Annual Michelin NCM Bash
-
