Development of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is nearing completion. The museum’s exterior has taken full shape, and the institution is expecting to welcome visitors next year. 

The $1 billion project, brainchild of filmmaker George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, will become a 300,000-square-foot center dedicated exclusively to storytelling through images.

The biomorphic structure of the five-story gallery, envisioned by Ma Yansong of Beijing-based firm MAD Architects, is meant to mimic a cloud. It sits on an 11-acre campus in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park, having replaced a parking lot. 

“It’s humbling and energizing to see how all aspects of this new public resource are taking shape,” Sandra Jackson-Dumont, director and chief executive of the Lucas Museum, previously said in a statement. “We believe that narrative art can connect us and help shape a more just society. As a result, every element of this institution contributes to that idea – the site is one physical manifestation of that.”

To showcase its art, there are three gallery spaces spread across three floors, spanning approximately 100,000 square feet in total, plus two ground-floor theaters with 299 seats each and numerous centers for learning and engagement. 

The collection includes a diverse range of art, as well as the entire Lucasfilm production archive, including some original artifacts and research materials from the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” empires.

One of the design elements the team is especially excited about is the 40-foot elliptical oculus that hovers four stories above the ground. Once the museum is complete, the oculus will serve as a central meeting point for visitors, providing access to the open sky.

Capital investment in South L.A.

The Lucas Museum lies adjacent to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Natural History Museum, and despite its massive scale, the project emphasizes sustainability. 

On the building itself, 24,000 square feet of solar panels line the roof, and a rain feature serves as not only a public amenity, but also as a renewable cooling source for the building, while LED lighting throughout conserves energy.

Designed by landscape architect Mia Lehrer, president of Studio-MLA, the Lucas Museum Park and Gardens will offer an extensive relandscaping of the park grounds and include more than 200 trees and other indigenous plants, bringing more shade equity and green space to South Los Angeles. 

“These capital projects that are happening here are going to be spectacular for the neighborhood,” Jackson-Dumont said. “I am thrilled that this was the site chosen because of what it’s doing for South Los Angeles and what it will mean for the cultural landscape overall.”

The museum broke ground in March 2018 and is expected to open in 2025. Principal Michael Siegel of Stantec is the project’s executive architect.

“There’s a beautiful connection between land and the people here in Los Angeles,” Jackson-Dumont said. “So when I think about the culture of Los Angeles, I think about what’s happening here and the impact that we’ll have. I think a lot of artists will be interested in this place. I think a lot of people who are cultural workers will be engaged in this place. But my hope is that they won’t just be engaged here, (but that) they’ll be engaged in South L.A.”