Say what you will about Rahm Emanuel’s questionable tactics and style of shaping Chicago, but one thing is clear: the man has big plans for Chicago as an arts and entertainment destination. I don’t want to get too into politics here, but Emanuel has shown that he’s focused on heightening Chicago’s scope as a city fully embracing all forms of art very recently. Just last month, he was in Austin, TX to attend SXSW with a team to identify the framework of how the festival works to bring a similar Film, Music, and Tech festival to the Windy City within the next year or two.
Now, the next potential piece of the puzzle may be falling in place for the city. Star Wars and Indiana Jones creator George Lucas originally had plans to build the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, a proposed $300 million museum to house vintage Lucasfilm memorabilia (including a scale model of the Millennium Falco!), in San Francisco. However, the plans have fallen through. Now, Lucas is heavily considering Chicago for the new site for the museum. This also reflects Lucas’ growing appreciation for the city, which has become his part-time home after marrying Chicagoan Mellody Hobson last year. The director has also put his money where his heart is, donating $25m to both the University of Chicago Lab Schools and After School Matters last year. Lucas had this to say about plans for the proposed Chicago museum: “The city of Chicago has enthusiastically welcomed me and I consider Chicago to be my second home […] I look forward to working with community leaders to see if Chicago can become home to the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum.”
Emanuel has put together a task force to find a proper site for the museum, which will also display Lucas’ art collection. I personally am all for Chicago becoming the destination for the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum. However, Chicago politics might prevent this from happening. We’ll keep our eyes open on any developments as they come.