July 22, 2015 – Bill Porter discussed the creative evolutionary journey and inspirational recipes for the fusion of engineering and art that sparked some of the world’s hottest automobile designs and trends. Kay Grubola moderated the Kentucky to the World event.

According to Louisville native and University of Louisville alumni Bill Porter, retired Chief Designer for three decades at General Motors, “The best designs are those that represent a true synthesis of art and technology.” On July 22, 2015, Mr. Porter discussed the creative evolutionary journey and inspirational recipes for the fusion of engineering and art that sparked some of the world’s hottest automobile designs and trends at the Kentucky to the World event A Joy Ride through Decades of American Culture & Automobile Design with Bill Porter: Journey from the Muscle Car’s Golden Era to Biomorphism of Today. Event audience discovered unique influences of his Kentucky upbringing on his work, like drawing fighter planes during his childhood art classes at what is now the Louisville Visual Art Association.

His stories and philosophy are sure to regale future generations to aspire, as he explains, “The opportunity is once again available for strong entrepreneurship to break free in ways that have not been possible for decades. Today the global business climate is new, the technology is new, and the challenges are new. I believe that once again it is possible for giants like Alfred P Sloan, Harlow Curtis, Ed Cole and Pete Estes to emerge from the pack and do great things tomorrow.”

William Porter, born 1931 in Louisville, Kentucky, served for three decades as Studio Chief Designer at General Motors, where he worked from 1957 until retirement in 1996. He played a seminal role in the history of American muscle car design, having made his mark with the 1968 Pontiac GTO and 1970-73 Pontiac Firebird 400. His impact on auto design continued into the 1990’s with the 1997 Buick Park Avenue. Among other impressive cars on his design roster include the Trans Am, 1985 Buick Electra T Type, 1991 Buick Park Venue and 1995 Buick Riviera.

In 2007, the Louisville Visual Art Association honored Mr. Porter, who attended children’s programs at their formerly named Art Center School, with a retrospective exhibition of sketches from his lifework at GM, Designing an Icon: Creativity and the American Automobile. As Mr. Porter explained to KTW, “I think the Kentucky lifestyle contains a sort of measured gentility that fosters a deeper look at situations and events. No locale, I am sure, has a monopoly on this (and certainly Kentucky politics are as rough as anyplace else), but the common sense and depth of perception fostered by a more calm and gentlemanly manner have proved an asset to my career as a team player in the automobile design world.”

Mr. Porter has been drawing for as long as he can recall. As he told KTW, “The Botto Art Contest for elementary and junior high kids got me off to a running start so that I was able to take advanced art classes on Saturday Mornings at the old Art Center School out on First Street, and I cherish that dearly.” He also met his wife Pat at the same art school. In a 2007 interview with New York Times, Mr. Porter recalls, “I drew mostly airplanes with bullets shooting out of them….that turned out to be just the vocabulary of imagery at General Motors in the 1950’s.”

In 1953 Mr. Porter received his BFA from University of Louisville where he credits, “Later at the University of Louisville, both my wife and I benefitted from the Allen R. Hite scholarship program. The quality of the instructors at both the Art Center School and later at U of L was truly outstanding. Individuals like Nell Peterson and Mary Nay at the Art Center; Ulfert Wilke, Justis Bier, Creighton Gilbert, Walter Creese, and others at U of L enriched our lives beyond measure. Later, when I undertook my graduate work at Pratt Institute in New York, I found no greater depth or sophistication than I had experienced in Louisville.” After a stint in the army, Mr. Porter received his MA in Industrial Design from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York in 1960.

Additionally, from 1980 to 1996, Mr. Porter also served as Adjunct Professor at Wayne University. He now lives with his wife Pat in Ann Arbor, Michigan and guest lectures at the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit. He leads forums and offers speaking engagements at universities and events around the United States.

*Porter Pontiac front end – by Bill Porter 4-6-73*

WILLIAM (BILL) PORTER

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