61 The ArtCenter Years With his Fisher Body scholarship, Ray Cannara entered ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles, California in the fall of 1964. Cannara found his experience at ArtCenter both logical in terms of training and rewarding in terms of recognition. Given his interest in design, naturally Ray’s car body was penned by Ray himself. The initial version of the car was finished enough to drive him and his mother to college at ArtCenter for his junior year in 1966 . You can review photos preparing the car for travel and in the process of being finished at the ArtCenter from 1966 through 1968 in the following pages. Ray worked with Strother MacMinn at ArtCenter, known to most as “Mac”. As Preston Lerner pointed out in his article on ArtCenter, MacMinn was regarded as one of the most influential mentors in automotive design, with many students going on to stamp their own designs in automotive history. It probably did not hurt Ray’s career that he designed and build his own running and working car. In discussing the wedge shaped design of the Cannara, we asked Ray Cannara in 2016 if he had any cars that he had looked to for inspiration in developing the design of his car. While no designer works in total isolation from the work of others, Ray indicated that the wedge design was largely a product of his own creativity. Considering that Ray Cannara was in his mid-teens at the time he sketched the car and set about construction, the likelihood that he was working within his own creative boundaries was pretty high. An older designer probably would have had more reference points to borrow and blend into their designs. Strother MacMinn Working With Students 1966
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