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[1] George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, and his wife Mellody Hobson want their massive spaceship of a museum to be an experience. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opened last month in Los Angeles, California, in the United States. There is a lot to take in across 27,000 square metres and 4.5 hectares of park space. Instead of trying to conquer everything, here are some highlights.
Get your Star Wars on
[2] Tracey Bates, the museum’s chief executive, said Star Wars comprises only seven per cent of the museum’s inaugural exhibitions. But there is still plenty for fans to sink their teeth into. In the Slavko Vorkapich Theatre on the first floor, you can watch parts of an unreleased animated comedy series called Star Wars Detours. It was created by Lucas as a parody of the franchise in the early 2010s but never aired.
[3] In the “Star Wars in Motion” exhibition on the fourth floor, you can stand before Luke’s landspeeder from the 1977 original film. The unassuming vehicle stands ready to conjure reverence in anyone who holds childhood memories of that film dear. For sheer spectacle, behold the first physical build of General Grievous’ Wheel Bike, an invention previously only realised in CGI but built specifically for the museum at Lucas’ request.
See rare and exciting comics
[4] Lucas is an unabashed comic fan. His love shows in his extensive collection, highlighted in the comics and graphic stories galleries. The crowning glory of the collection is arguably the first Flash Gordon comic strip. There is also an original splash page from Black Panther, as well as Peanuts strips from the 1950s and 60s.
[5] But fans of vintage comics of all kinds will be happy to see panels from Alley-Oop, Garfield, Tarzan and Prince Valiant. Here, as in all the other galleries, looking closely is key to finding hidden treasures. There is a stacked manga gallery for fans of that genre too.
Browse the stacks
[6] The museum’s library is open to visitors without a ticket and is all dressed up in dark wood, with cosy lighting and plenty of comfortable chairs and tables. A wall of windows looks out onto the lush main lawn, providing both a quiet place to read and a perfect perch for people-watching. It is not a lending library, but you can enjoy the more than 3,000 art books on site.
[7] As an added treat, the third and top floors of shelving contain a variety of art books donated by actor and avid art collector Steve Martin (the public can only access the first floor). On your way out, be sure to leave books on the bright orange carts featuring signs of Yoda imploring guests to follow the golden rule: “Reshelve, do not. Leave books here, you must!”
Source: Tribune News Service, September 22
