John Portman
John Portman, a native of Atlanta, received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1950, and after a three-year apprenticeship opened his own firm in 1953. In 1956, he teamed up with H. Griffith Edwards to form Edwards & Portman Architects. When Edwards retired in 1968, the firm became John Portman & Associates.

In Atlanta, Portman is best known for the 14-block Peachtree Center complex that attests to his commitment to the downtown business district and includes many of his landmark projects. Peachtree Center began in 1960 with the opening of the Atlanta Merchandise Mart, now known as AmericasMart, the world's largest wholesale marketplace, fully interconnected by aerial pedestrian bridges. His three major downtown hotels, the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, The Westin Peachtree Plaza, and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, anchor the convention district. From the opening of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta in 1967, with its 22-story atrium, Portman made architectural history and won international acclaim.

Portman's international work began with the design and development of the Brussels Trade Mart in 1975, then shifted to the Far East. The Regent Singapore was Portman's first international hotel, followed by Marina Square, a major complex that includes three hotels, a major retail mall and an office building. Portman entered China in 1980. Portman's pioneer project, Shanghai Centre, a large, mixed-use complex, has been described as "one of the five architectural stars in mainland China." Today, much of the firm's work continues to be in Asia with ongoing projects throughout China, Korea, as well as in India.

Portman began creating paintings and sculptures in the early 1980's, after years of integrating art into the architectural environment, including designing lighting fixtures, hardware and furniture. His architectural awards include the 1976 Elsie de Wolf award from the American Society of Interior Designers, New York Chapter, the 1978 AIA Medal from the American Institute of Architects, the 1981 Silver Medal Award from the Atlanta Chapter of AIA and the 1984 Urban Land Institute's Award of Excellence for Embarcadero Center. In 1986, Georgia Institute of Technology presented him with the Exceptional Achievement Award. In 1992, the Atlanta College of Art awarded Portman an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts. In 1994, he was elected National Academician at the National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, N.Y. Portman is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, has served as a board member of the Atlanta College of Art, and is Trustee Emeritus of the Atlanta Arts Alliance.

John Portman & Associates/Portman Holdings
John Portman & Associates, Inc. is an internationally recognized architectural and engineering firm with offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Shanghai, China. Established in 1953, the firm has 55 years of expertise in designing hotels, offices, trade marts, universities and mixed-use urban complexes. Also Portman Holdings, Portman's Development Company, is internationally recognized for its domestic and international projects. For more information about John Portman & Associates, please visit www.PortmanUSA.com; for more information about Portman Holdings, please visit www.PortmanHoldings.com.

High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art, founded in 1905 as the Atlanta Art Association, is the leading art museum in the southeastern United States. With more than 11,000 works of art in its permanent collection, the High Museum of Art has an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American and decorative art; significant holdings of European paintings; a growing collection of African American art; and burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, photography and African art. The High is also dedicated to supporting and collecting works by Southern artists and is distinguished as the only major museum in North America to have a curatorial department specifically devoted to the field of folk and self-taught art.

The High's Media Arts department produces acclaimed annual film series and festivals of foreign, independent and classic cinema. In November 2005 the High opened three new buildings by architect Renzo Piano that more than doubled the Museum's size, creating a vibrant "village for the arts" at the Woodruff Arts Center in midtown Atlanta. For more information about the High, please visit www.High.org.

The Woodruff Arts Center
The Woodruff Arts Center is ranked among the top four arts centers in the nation. The Woodruff is unique in that it combines four visual and performing arts divisions on one campus as one not-for-profit organization. Opening in 1968, the Woodruff Arts Center is home to the Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the High Museum of Art and Young Audiences. To learn more about the Woodruff Arts Center, please visit www.woodruffcenter.org.