16 Mar 2018
Construction kicks off on George Lucas' Museum of Narrative Art
BY Kim Megson
The official groundbreaking has taken place for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art – Star Wars creator George Lucas’ long-awaited cultural venture in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park.
The 300,000sq ft (27,800sq m) museum will celebrate the art of visual storytelling – from comic art, paintings and illustrations to photography, filmmaking and drawings – with collection galleries, exhibition spaces and two theatres displaying original works of art, digital technologies and daily film screenings.
MAD Architects’ Ma Yansong is behind the building’s futuristic design, which will transform a series of asphalt parking lots into an organic, streamlined form, not unlike some of the spacecraft familiar from Lucas’ most famous cinematic creation.
The museum will feature an expansive public landscaped roof, artificial waterfalls and pathways through 11 acres of surrounding new parkland and gardens, created by LA landscape architects Studio-MLA.
“The focus of the museum is to open up people’s imaginations and inspire them to dream beyond what is considered possible," said Lucas speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony on 14 March.
“Narrative art and storytelling stirs our emotions, shapes our aspirations as a society, and is the glue that binds us together around our common beliefs.”
Museum co-founder Mellody Hobson added: “Our goal is to create the world’s most inclusive and accessible art museum – a place that brings together people from every walk of life.”
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti described the museum as “an architectural wonder, a cultural treasure, and a centre of storytelling and creativity at the heart of a reimagined Exposition Park.”
Construction is commencing immediately and is anticipated to be complete by late 2021.
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