Earlier this summer, George Lucas announced that Chicago was chosen as the future home of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. As a result of a “Memorandum of Agreement” between the Chicago Park District and the Lucas Museum, a series of public hearings pertaining to the museum project will be held throughout the Chicago area over the next six months. The first such hearing will be held in October.
The hearings are intended to aid in the development of the museum, to allow for public input, and to act as an information gathering process – including research and site analysis.
According to Gia Biagi, the chief of staff for the Park District, the memorandum is non-binding. Rather, it is a “list of intentions” designed to make sure all parties know where they stand.
In addition to the public forums, here are just a few of the other points addressed in the memorandum:
• The museum is only to be used as a public museum. If there comes a time when that is not the case, the site and the building would become property of the Park District.
• The construction of the museum will receive no City of Park District funding.
• The museum is to offer (at least) 52 days of free admission per year.
The exact location, date, or time of the first public hearing is not known at this time.
If all goes according to plan, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will make its home just south of Soldier Field, and it will be open to the public by 2018.
Sources: Chicago Tribune, DNAInfo Chicago
