My family and I were invited to attend the Neighborhood Preview Day at the new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, and I can tell you right now: This place is going to be a huge hit.
Obviously, as someone who grew up with Star Wars and now has two kids of my own, I was excited to see what George Lucas had created. But one of the things that surprised me most is that the Lucas Museum is about so much more than Star Wars.
George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, co-founded the museum to celebrate something humans have been doing since the beginning of time: telling stories through images.
The museum sits in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park and the first thing you’ll notice is the building itself. It’s spectacular and looks like a giant spaceship has landed in the middle of Los Angeles. The 300,000-square-foot building was designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects with Stantec, and it’s surrounded by a new 13-acre park designed by Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA. The grounds alone make the museum feel like a destination rather than just another building filled with art.
Our visit got off to a bit of a slow start because we had to wait outside in line for more than 30 minutes, and unfortunately, it was really hot. I believe the delay was because there was a special event taking place inside with George Lucas, Mellody Hobson, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and former Mayor Eric Garcetti.
If it hadn’t been so hot, I probably wouldn’t have even mentioned the wait because once we got inside, it was absolutely worth it.
One of my favorite features is something you might not expect: the futuristic glass elevators. They whisk you up to the fourth floor, where the main galleries are located, and they fit the space-age design of the building perfectly. There’s another gallery on the fifth floor, and don’t overlook the ground floor either. There’s plenty to see throughout the museum. And there’s a lot to see.
The inaugural exhibitions feature more than 1,200 objects displayed across more than 30 galleries and approximately 100,000 square feet of gallery space. They’re drawn from a founding collection of more than 40,000 works that Lucas has spent over 50 years assembling.
The collection covers an extraordinary range of visual storytelling, from ancient art and Renaissance paintings to photography, children’s book illustrations, comics, murals, movie posters and cinema.
You’ll find works connected to Norman Rockwell, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Dorothea Lange, Gordon Parks, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, Beatrix Potter, Jack Kirby and many others.
Comic book fans should especially enjoy the museum’s extensive collection of American and European comics and graphic stories, while families will want to check out the galleries devoted to children’s stories, childhood, family, play, school, sports and everyday life.
And yes, Star Wars fans will have plenty to geek out over.
The “Star Wars in Motion” exhibition includes vehicle designs, props, costumes and illustrations from the first six films in George Lucas’ saga. Seeing these pieces in a museum created by Lucas himself makes the experience particularly special.
But I wouldn’t come here expecting a giant Star Wars museum. That’s really not what this is. The bigger idea is what the museum calls narrative art, essentially art that tells a story. That can mean everything from prehistoric cave drawings and paintings to comic books, photography and movies.
I love that concept because it makes the museum much more approachable, especially for kids and people who don’t necessarily consider themselves art aficionados. You’re likely to recognize characters, images, stories and styles you’ve encountered throughout your life, even if you don’t know the name of the artist.
George Lucas has referred to much of this type of work as “the people’s art,” and after walking through the galleries, that description makes a lot of sense.
There’s something for just about everyone here. One room might have classic American illustrations, another photography, another comics or manga, and then suddenly you’re looking at something from the world of Star Wars.
For families visiting Los Angeles, I think the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is going to quickly become one of the city’s must-see attractions. Even the building itself is worth seeing, but once you step inside, you realize just how ambitious this project really is.
My kids enjoyed it, I enjoyed it and we all walked away wanting more time to explore.
If you or your kids are fans of Star Wars, movies, comics, photography, illustration or art in general, put the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art on your Los Angeles list. Just don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s only for Star Wars fans.
It’s really a museum about something all of us can relate to … the stories we tell and the images we use to tell them.
