10 Things You Won't Want to Miss at The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will open its 11-acre campus in Exposition Park on September 22. With the goal of exploring visual storytelling and myth-making, the museum brings together a collection that runs from ancient sculptures to contemporary films. 

Lucas, the famed director of Star Wars, has been a collector of narrative art for more than 50 years and has referred to it as “the people’s art.” While some works related to his own films will be on view in the museum, it is really a house for artists across disciplines. The museum’s founding collection includes a wide variety artists, amongst them Norman Rockwell, Jack Kirby, Judith F. Baca, Frida Kahlo and many more. The Lucas Museum will also be home to a park and gardens, two movie theaters and a new full-service restaurant. Here are ten things not to miss at the Lucas Museum. 

Central to the Lucas Museum is the Lucas Archives, which includes props, art and artifacts from the first six Star Wars films and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Amongst the items included are production art from Ralph McQuarrie, famed for his designs of now iconic characters like R2-D2 and C-3PO. Joe Johnston’s sketch of Millennium Falcon and comic book artist Jim Steranko’s pre-production paintings for Raiders of the Lost Ark. 

Star Wars in Motion will be the first cinema exhibition at The Lucas Museum. With props, costumes and art from the first six films in the series, the exhibition will show the development and evolution of the Star Wars universe between the 1977 release of the original blockbuster film through the prequels. 
 

The Lucas Museum will open with more than 1200 pieces of narrative art, exhibited in 30+ galleries over 100,000 square feet of space. It’s an immense collection of works that span centuries and originate across the globe. Galleries are grouped together by themes that range from genre of art to subject matter. One dedicated to children's literature includes pieces from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Eloise as well as work from Maurice Sendak.  A large mural gallery includes several works from Banksy, including one brand new piece. Other galleries are dedicated to subjects like sports and civic life. 

The Lucas Museum Park and Gardens gives nature the space to let its own narrative unfold. Mia Lehrer of Studio-MLA designed an urban oasis that includes a hanging garden, amphitheater, meadow and a fountain that resembles a waterfall. With more than 200 trees planted for this new green space, and indigenous and drought tolerant plants incorporated into the landscape, you can expect the scenery to change with the seasons when you visit for garden events and solo strolls. Look out for sculptures, like one of Princess Leia and Jabba the Hutt, that bring more narrative art into the outdoor space. 

Skywalker Grill aims to be more than a museum cafe. Designed by Rockwell Group and operated by Rhubarb Events & Hospitality Collection, part of Oak View Group, it will be a full-service restaurant with a menu filled with twists on classic American food, like lobster corn dogs and Skywalker Ranch wagyu burgers. Located atop the museum, the restaurant takes inspiration from George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch and will be open to both museum guests and the general public beginning September 22. You can make reservations on Resy.

The Lucas Museum will be home to two theaters, where films will be screened non-stop during the day so that guests can pop in and out of screenings at their leisure. The Robert Flaherty Theater, named for the seminal documentarian, will focus on documentary films. Here, you might catch episodes of Seeing Is Believing: The Story of Narrative Art, a new series commissioned by the Lucas Museum, or documentaries about some of the artists featured in the museum’s collections. Also set to screen are the 2024 television series, The Power of Film, and film Comic Book Confidential.

With floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and views of the park and gardens, the Lucas Museum’s library is a stunner. More importantly, though, it will be home to collections of children’s books, comics, magazines, plus sci-fi and fantasy books, which will be available for approved researchers by appointment.

From the 1920 through the 1940s, Slavko Vorkapich gained a reputation for his montage sequences and special effects for films like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. The theater that bears his name at the Lucas Museum will focus on innovative short films past and present, including experimental works from Georges Méliès, Man Ray, Walt Disney, Dave and Max Fleischer, Kennth Anger and many more. You might even catch one of George Lucas’ student films in the mix.

In addition to exhibitions curated by medium and/or themes, the Lucas Museum will also open with the spotlight on a handful of individual artists, including Thomas Hart Benton, Frank Frazetta, Jessie Wilcox Smith, Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth. 

Amongst the 30 exhibitions opening with the Lucas Museum on September 22 is one dedicated to comics and graphic stories and another dedicated to manga. In the comics gallery, you'll find American favorites like the Peanuts, as well as underground stars like R. Crumb and French masters like Mœbius and Philippe Druillet. In the manga gallery, you'll see art from a wide range of popular Japanese series, including classics like Astro Boy and Akira and the current hit One Piece.