The Force Is With Los Angeles: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Selects Exposition Park as Future Home
Star Wars nerds and film geeks, your spaceship has come in! If you felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices cried out in joy, that was the announcement that the $1-billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has selected Exposition Park in Downtown L.A. as its future home.
In a statement released on Twitter, the museum said, "Exposition Park is a magnet for the region and accessible from all parts of the city. As a museum uniquely focused on narrative art, we look forward to becoming part of a dynamic museum community, surrounded by more than 100 elementary and high schools, one of the world's leading universities as well as three other world-class museums."
Designed by award-winning architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, the museum will join the California African American Museum, California Science Center and the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. Much more than a collection of Star Wars memorabilia - yes, that's what everyone is excited about - the Lucas Museum will present original work by world renowned and emerging artists, cutting-edge digital technologies, and daily film screenings in state-of-the-art theaters, as well as educational opportunities for students of all ages.
At one point in the selection process, Mayor Eric Garcetti, who worked diligently to bring the museum to L.A., was told there was a "95% chance" the museum would go to Chicago. Of course, you should never tell Los Angeles the odds.
In a statement, Mayor Garcetti said, "Art exists to inspire, to move, to educate, and to excite. Thanks to George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, millions of Angelenos and visitors will enjoy an extraordinary collection anchored in storytelling — an art that carries so much meaning in the history and legacy of Los Angeles."
In a press conference, Mayor Garcetti said that groundbreaking for the Lucas Museum is expected later this year, with a projected opening date in 2020. (please let it be on May 4)
Los Angeles has a couple of years to prepare for the museum's opening day, which hopefully will go a little more smoothly than the last time the Empire visited L.A:
