Chicago Wins Bid for the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
While the city of Chicago is politically known for taking few steps forward and plenty more back, it has triumphantly taken a leap ahead in the world of arts and entertainment. Back in April, we mentioned the possibility of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art electing Chicago to serve as the museum’s home base. Now, two months later, Rahm Emanuel has successfully beaten out Los Angeles and San Francisco for the city to accommodate a first-ever interactive George “Star Wars” Lucas museum, which will house a quintessential collection of artwork and memorabilia from Lucas’s films.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, opening in 2018, will be located on Chicago’s lakefront museum campus, situating the $1 billion museum on a 17-acre site located on parking lots between Soldier Field and McCormick Place. The mayor maintains that, “Like Marshall Field, John G. Shedd and Max Adler before him, George’s philanthropy will inspire and educate for generations.” In addition to offering new channels of education and jobs for Chicagoans, the museum will attract international tourists, serving as a monumental contribution to the city’s revenue.
One of the factors contributing to Lucas’s decision to choose Chicago over LA and San Francisco was the ability to house the museum near a body of water, keeping it surrounded by nature while simultaneously retaining a central location. Lucas is planning on placing a majority of the museum parking underground in order to amplify the green space that surrounds it.
This museum will be entirely self-funded, characterized as a “history of storytelling” undertaking that is “dedicated to the power of the visual image” and is predicted to be the world’s largest interactive museum. Check out Rahm’s comments on the Chicago x Lucas victory below.
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[via Chicago Sun-Times]