AmericasMart chairman honored by Harvard

HTT Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 10/25/2012 11:23:09 AM

Cambridge, Mass. - Harvard University Graduate School of Design (GSD) will name a distinguished visiting professorship in architecture in honor of John Portman, chairman of AmericasMart and founder and chairman of John Portman & Associates, a leading design firm based in Atlanta.
"John Portman is one of the most innovative designers of his generation," said Dean Mohsen Mostafavi. "The Portman Chair will bring leading architects to our campus with a variety of perspectives and backgrounds to share with our students. It is my intention that the holders of the Portman Chair will, in turn, benefit and inspire generations of designers to think expansively about how they will contribute to the transformation of our societies, just as Mr. Portman has throughout his career."
Said Portman: "Educating future generations of designers who will shape our world is one of the most important contributions I can make to my field. This professorship will provide opportunities for students to hear from and work with a dynamic cohort of leading practitioners who will inspire them to think in new ways about how to improve the world around them."