Mon Calamari cruiser-looking structure is located near the Olympic Coliseum in Los Angeles…
Do you ever wish you could look into the mind of The Maker himself; delve into the imagination of the guy who invented Bob Falfa, Han Solo, and Indiana Jones?
Well, kids, that chance is coming.
The (George) Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which continues its COVID-slowed rise above the streets of LA, describes itself thusly:
Founded by philanthropist and filmmaker George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, co-CEO and president of Ariel Investments, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art™ will inspire current and future generations through the universal art of visual storytelling. The museum, scheduled to open in 2023, will present exhibitions for diverse public audiences that will bring together mass-produced images with academically rooted art forms to unpack visual storytelling in its richness and complexity. Dynamic learning opportunities and public programs will enable people of all ages to explore diverse forms of narrative art. Designed by renowned architect Ma Yansong and under construction in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park, the museum will feature expansive galleries, state-of-the-art cinematic theaters, numerous dedicated spaces for learning and engagement, new green park space, restaurants, retail, and an event space.
What Is Narrative Art
In contrast to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (“the largest institution in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking…”), set to open on September 30, the Lucas Museum is not dedicated strictly to film.
“We’re super excited about the opening of the Academy Museum — it’s so necessary as a new addition to the Los Angeles community and it will expand the cultural landscape,” said Lucas Museum Director Sandra Jackson-Dumont to the LA Times‘ Deborah Vankin.
“But I’m happy to say that the only film museum in the city is the Academy Museum because the Lucas Museum is a museum dedicated to narrative art; it’s not about film only.”
Lucas Museum Director Sandra Jackson-Dumont
Narrative art, she added, “cuts across space and time and really is about visual storytelling through a range of material. It’s photography, it’s painting, it’s sculpture, it’s ephemera from newspapers and magazines, it’s all of those things.”
And, when you enter the museum, you’ll enter an 80,000 to 100,000 square foot expanse, an extension of George Lucas’ brain, which includes 100,000 pieces of art and (and, yes, a decent amount of Star Wars “ephemera”).
An Expanding Collection
As the walls (ovoid?) of the building continue to expand, so does the collection, which continues to grow, as well.
In fact, one of the pieces is described by Sandra Jackson-Dumont as the “Mona Lisa of Mexico.”
Frida Kahlo’s Autorretrato Dedicado al Dr. Eloesser (Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser, 1940).
Honestly, isn’t all of that a reason to visit the Lucas Museum. On one corridor you will see, say, Princess Leia. Next corridor, you’ll see Frida Kahlo.
That’s all the reason to plan a trip to Los Angeles in 2023 I need. How about you?
Finally, read more about The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in the Los Angeles Times and the museum’s official site.
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