Lucas Museum of Narrative Art facts for kids
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An architectural rendering of the planned museum in Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California.
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| Established | 2014 |
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| Location | Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Type | Art museum |
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| Public transit access |   Expo/Vermont |
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is a new museum. It was started by filmmaker George Lucas and his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson. When it's finished, the museum will show many kinds of visual storytelling. This includes paintings, photos, sculptures, and even comic art. It will also feature performances and videos.
The museum is currently being built in Exposition Park in Los Angeles, California. It is expected to open its doors in 2025.
Contents
What is Narrative Art?
Narrative art is art that tells a story. Think of a painting that shows a scene from a book, or a comic book that tells an adventure. This museum will celebrate all the different ways artists tell stories through their work.
Museum Collections
The Lucas Museum will have artworks by many famous artists. These include Norman Rockwell, Diego Rivera, and N.C. Wyeth. It will also feature works by Carrie Mae Weems and Kadir Nelson.
In 2021, the museum received a special collection. It includes materials about Judith F. Baca's huge mural. This mural is called The History of California. It is also known as The Great Wall of Los Angeles. It is half a mile long!
The museum also bought a painting by Robert Colescott. It is called George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware River. The museum's director, Sandra Jackson-Dumont, said this painting connects popular culture and history.
African American Cinema Archive
In 2019, the museum got the Separate Cinema Archive. This collection has about 37,000 items. It includes movie posters, film photos, and scripts. These items show the history of African American movies. The collection covers films from 1904 to today.
Stars like Dorothy Dandridge and Sidney Poitier are featured. This archive will help people learn about African American stories in film.
Museum History
The first president of the museum was Don Bacigalupi. He left in early 2019. In October 2019, Sandra Jackson-Dumont became the new director and CEO.
Finding a Home: San Francisco
The museum was first planned for San Francisco. It was going to be called the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum. It would have held George Lucas's art collection. This collection is worth about $1 billion.
But after four years, they couldn't agree on land in San Francisco. So, George Lucas decided to look for a new home for the museum.
Finding a Home: Chicago
After San Francisco, Lucas chose Chicago. The mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, was very interested. He promised land by Lake Michigan. The museum would rent the land for only $1 a year.
Los Angeles also wanted the museum. Mayor Eric Garcetti offered land in Exposition Park. This land was near the University of Southern California. But Lucas still preferred Chicago.
The chosen spot in Chicago was a parking lot. It was near Soldier Field and other museums. But the project faced problems. Some people thought the building was too big. They worried about the cost of keeping it up.
A group called Friends of the Parks opposed the plan. They said the land was for public use only. They filed a lawsuit to stop the building. In 2015, a judge agreed with them. The state government had to change a law for the building to happen.
The design for the Chicago museum was made by MAD Architects. Some people didn't like the design. They said it was too big for the lakefront. Even with changes, the project still faced opposition.
In May 2016, Mellody Hobson said they were looking at other cities. On June 24, 2016, George Lucas announced the museum would not be built in Chicago.
Finding a Home: Los Angeles
After trying San Francisco and Chicago, museum officials looked at Los Angeles. On January 10, 2017, George Lucas announced the museum would be built in Exposition Park.
He chose this spot because it's near the University of Southern California. This is where he went to college. It's also close to other museums and schools.
The building was designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects. It will be almost 300,000 square feet. It will have five levels. There will be 100,000 square feet for art galleries. It will also have a library, learning studios, and two theaters. The museum will sit on 11 acres of new park space.
Construction Progress
Work on the museum started in January 2018. The groundbreaking ceremony was on March 14, 2018. The museum was first planned to open in 2021. But it was delayed to 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the opening was pushed back again to 2025.
Images for kids
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Previous plan for the museum in Chicago
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The museum under construction in 2022.
