Inspired by Anthony Schmidt’s imaginative photography and collection of the Studebaker National Museum, Open Roads, Open Minds will feature original artwork by artists from Studio Five9, an inclusive art studio that is part of Corvilla day services. Corvilla is a South Bend nonprofit organization that supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential, employment, day, and youth services.
Through painting, photography, and other media, participating artists explore transportation, travel, and the places—real or imagined—the road can take us. This exhibition celebrates the artists’ creativity and individual perspectives on movement, independence, adventure, and the open road.
Learn more about Studio Five9 and Corvilla here!
1/29/27 – 5/16/27
Carmichael Bullet Nose Gallery
Celebrate the season with Studebaker! For decades, Studebaker helped Americans celebrate the holidays, a time for gathering, gratitude, and getting home. Explore colorful commercial artwork, dealer materials, and holiday promotions that reveal how the company connected its products with winter travel, gift-giving, and the excitement of the season.
The exhibition also features a Studebaker “one-horse open sleigh” and bobsled, recalling the company’s heights as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of horse-drawn vehicles. Together, these objects and images offer a festive look at how Studebaker helped generations of Americans travel—and celebrate—in style.
June 3, 2026 – July 19, 2026
Five Driven Women explores how the automobile expanded opportunity and independence for women in the early twentieth century. Through five remarkable women and their cars, discover stories of adventure, achievement, and determination in this trailblazing exhibition.
Meet athlete Eleanora Sears and her 1912 Simplex Torpedo, socialite Maribel Schumacher and her 1928 Hudson Series O Town Car, explorer Louise Arner Boyd and her 1934 Packard Twelve, aviator Amelia Earhart and her 1937 Cord 812, and automobile enthusiast Margaret Dunning and her 1930 Packard 740. Their journeys reveal how automobiles helped women shape their own paths and how mobility became a powerful symbol of freedom and possibility. This is one exhibition you won’t want to miss!
Special thanks to The JBS Collection, The Singleton Collection, the Classic Car Club of America Museum, and LaVine Restorations for their support.
Before Detroit became synonymous with the automobile, northern Indiana was already on the move. Motor City, Indiana explores how South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart, and other nearby towns became a hub of entrepreneurship and manufacturing in the industry’s infancy. From Studebaker’s global reach to the inventive designs of the American Simplex Motor Car Company, Elcar, Pratt-Elkhart, Milburn, and more, these companies turned local ambition into national innovation. These vehicles—and the people who built them—helped make northern Indiana an industrial powerhouse and are a vital chapter in America’s motoring story.
This summer, discover the machines, the makers, and the pioneering spirit that put Indiana on the automotive map as part of the ongoing America 250 celebrations at the Studebaker National Museum.
Every community has moments that shape its identity, and South Bend is no exception. Through the experiences of entrepreneurs, workers, artists, and civic leaders, visitors will discover how local history reflects and contributes to America’s broader story. Developed by History Colorado and a multi-state collaboration for the nation’s 250th anniversary, Moments That Made US allows host communities to connect their own local histories to the American experience. The exhibition explores five themes drawn directly from the Declaration of Independence: Created Equal; Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness; Free and Independent States; Consent of the Governed; and We Mutually Pledge. The featured moments remind us that our story was never inevitable, we shaped it at every turn.
Through artifacts, photographs, and first-hand accounts, Moments That Made US invites you to see how local moments and experiences became part of the American story as part of the ongoing America250 celebrations at the Studebaker National Museum and The History Museum.
Exhibition runs April 11, 2026 – January 3, 2027.
Astral Visions: Vehicles of Tomorrow travels back to the 1950s, when nuclear and other Space Age technology promised limitless energy and inspired designers to imagine vehicles unlike anything on the road (or skies). The rarely-seen Studebaker-Packard Astral—specially brought out of storage for this exhibit—stands as the stunning centerpiece in the A.M. General Atrium, paired with images and information on other far-out nuclear vehicle concepts and innovations from the era. Don’t miss it!
Astral Visions: Vehicles of Tomorrow was curated by Mataya Watson, intern in the curatorial department and undergraduate student at Holy Cross College.
Don’t miss this special display celebrating Robert Swope’s incredible 90-day trip around the world in his 1963 Studebaker Gran Turismo Hawk, lovingly named “Sophia.” This display highlights the preparation, challenges, and remarkable endurance of both the driving team and machine as they circled the globe and participated in events like the 40th anniversary of the Hong Kong to Beijing Rally. Step inside to follow their journey mile by mile and learn more at studebakerchronicles.com.
The Studebaker National Museum proudly presents Testing Tomorrow: The Proving Ground at 100, a special display celebrating a century of automotive testing and innovation. Established in 1926 on 840 acres in New Carlisle, Indiana, the Proving Ground was one of the first purpose-built vehicle test facilities in the nation, showcasing Studebaker’s commitment to quality, safety, and engineering excellence. After Studebaker ceased operations, the site continued to play a vital role in the industry, serving companies such as Bendix, Bosch, Navistar, and now International. Today, the site is also shared by the St. Joseph County Park system and features miles of scenic hiking trails along with the famed Studebaker tree sign. This exhibition highlights the legacy of the Proving Ground through rare photographs, historical artifacts, and stories from 100 years at the track.
Take a joyride through Hollywood history with some of the most iconic vehicles ever to hit the silver screen (and your TV screen)! From sleek sports cars to family haulers, these fan favorites have taken us on cross-country adventures, wild chases, and action-packed escapades we’ll never forget. Get up close to legendary rides like the 1966 Ford Thunderbird from Thelma & Louise, the 1982 Ferrari 308 GTSi from Magnum PI, and more. It’s the ultimate pit stop for movie buffs, car lovers, and nostalgia junkies alike!
Exhibition runs October 24, 2025 – May 25, 2026
