Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

A rendering of the museum and surrounding area by MAD Architects
Established 2014
Location Chicago, Illinois, USA
Type Art Museum
Founder George Lucas
Director Don Bacigalupi
Judy Kim, Dep. Dir.
Website www.lucasmuseum.org

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art was a museum planned to be opened in Chicago near Burnham Harbor and was slated to have been completed in 2019-2020.[1] Endowed and built by film creator and director, George Lucas,[1] it will hold paintings, photography, illustration, cinematic art and digital art.[2]

History

Originally, the museum was to be called the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, and was planned for San Francisco, on Crissy Field. This version of the museum would have held Lucas’ art collection, which is estimated to be worth approximately $1 billion.[3] After four years of negotiation with The Presidio Trust over the land in San Francisco, Lucas announced instead that Chicago would host the museum, due in part to interest from the city's mayor, Rahm Emanuel, and the promise of land on the shore of Lake Michigan.[4][5] Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti also made a bid to host the project, offering Lucas land near the University of Southern California.[1]

The first president of the Museum is Don Bacigalupi, former president of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. In 2015, the State of Illinois approved potential land use for the museum[6] and the Chicago City Council approved zoning.[7][8]

On May 3 2016, a statement released by Melody Hobson stated that the museum would seek another location after a protracted confrontation with Friends of the Parks.[9]

Design

MAD architects, headed by Ma Yansong, is responsible for the building’s design, while VOA Associates will oversee construction. Studio Gang Architects, already involved in the rehabilitation of Northerly Island, will design the landscape. [10][11]

The design was met with some criticism upon release. Blair Kamin of the Chicago Tribune called the structure "needlessly massive" and called for a "dose of restraint" to preserve the lakefront.[12] In Crain's Chicago Business, Greg Hinz derided it as "[yelling] and [carrying] on, in its own way defacing the city's lakefront as much as any teenager with a can of spray paint...".[13]

Revised plans were released in September 2015, which scaled back on the size of the project but otherwise kept the basic design.[14]

Collections

The museum will house works by artists such as Howard Chandler Christy, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, and Norman Rockwell.[15]

Controversy

As the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, the institution faced obstacles in San Francisco. After the formal announcement of the museum's location on Chicago's lake shore, the project has faced similar opposition. In an editorial, the Chicago Tribune condemned the size of the structure, referring to it as "a monument to its patron rather than a modest addition to a democratic public space". The Chicago plan calls for a museum building roughly four times the size of the one planned for San Francisco, though now that size has been scaled back.[16][17] The Tribune also expressed worries about the cost of maintenance, to be absorbed by taxpayers, and the damage to the preservation of the lake front.

A parks group has opposed the construction, citing a ban on development on the land set aside for Lucas. Friends of the Parks, a Chicago-area preservation organization, filed a federal suit to block the development. In March 2015, U.S. District Judge John Darrah ruled the land intended for the museum is held in public trust. Thus, the Illinois General Assembly is the only body with the power to allow construction to proceed, under certain limitations.[18] The state subsequently approved a law designed to enable such projects, while the Chicago Park District approved a long-term lease and litigation on that lease is going forward.[19][20][21] Criticism also has been leveled against Friends of the Parks for its opposition.[22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Matthews, David (29 September 2015). "Lucas Museum Called 'Huge Plus for City,' 'Upside-down Snow Cone' at Forum.". DNA Info. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (2015). "Lucas Museum of Narrative Art". Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  3. ↑ Bailey, Holly (June 14, 2013). "George Lucas pitches a San Francisco art museum". Yahoo! News.
  4. ↑ "Chicago to vie for George Lucas' museum". Chicago Tribune. April 10, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  5. ↑ Sneed, Michael (June 24, 2014). "Sneed Exclusive: Chicago to Get George Lucas Museum". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 24, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Lawmakers Approve Bill on Obama Library, Lucas Museum". NBC Chicago.
  7. ↑ Smith, Aaron (October 30, 2015). "'Star Wars' creator George Lucas wins approval for Chicago art museum". CNNMoney.
  8. ↑ Rosenfeld, Karrisa (October 29, 2015). "MAD's George Lucas Museum Wins Approval in Chicago". ArchDaily.com.
  9. ↑ "Lucas Museum’s Chicago Plan Now Appears Dead". CBS Chicago. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  10. ↑ Neamt, Ioana (30 July 2014). "Studio Gang And MAD Architects To Design George Lucas’ Museum Of Narrative Art". Commercial Property Executive. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  11. ↑ Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. "Museum Design". Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  12. ↑ Kamin, Blair (3 November 2014). "Lucas Museum design an architectural mountain on city's lakefront". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  13. ↑ Hinz, Greg (3 November 2014). "Lucas Museum rolls out a design R2-D2 would pan". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  14. ↑ O'Connell, Patrick M. (10 September 2015). "Scaled-back Lucas museum plans may put lawsuit in jeopardy". chicagotribune.com.
  15. ↑ Walker, Alissa (26 June 2014). "17 Works of Art That Will Hang In George Lucas's New Museum". Gawker Media (Gizmodo). Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  16. ↑ Editorial Board (7 November 2014). "Keep George Lucas' museum off Chicago's lakefront". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  17. ↑ O'Connell, Patrick M. (10 September 2015). "Scaled-back Lucas museum plans may put lawsuit in jeopardy". chicagotribune.com.
  18. ↑ Sisson, Patrick (March 13, 2015). "Will Judge's Ruling Send Lucas Museum to a Site Far, Far Away? - Museum Battles - Curbed Chicago". Curbed. Vox Media (Curbed). Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  19. ↑ Manson, Patricia (February 4, 2016). "Lucas Museum put on hold again". Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  20. ↑ "How public? Lucas case may hinge on interpretation of legal landmark". Chicago Tribune. November 9, 2015.
  21. ↑ O'Connell, Patrick M. (4 February 2016). "Judge deals setback to Lucas Museum, denies motion to dismiss lawsuit". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 6 February 2016.
  22. ↑ Harris, Melissa (March 23, 2015). "In Lucas Museum fight, preservationists are protecting parking lots". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 24, 2015.

External links

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