There has been further movement in the ongoing mission to bring George Lucas’ proposed museum to Chicago. A task force has been formed with the intent of finding a suitable location for the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has given the task force until mid-May to find a location that is easily accessible to all Chicago neighborhoods and is expansive enough to host a museum that is comparable in size to other institutions of a similar nature.

Failing that, the museum could still find a home along the city’s lakefront. A leasing agreement could be arranged with the Chicago Park District that would allow the museum to be built on land along the city’s lakefront. However, that would only be done after public input is taken into consideration and there is clear evidence that the museum would improve the quality of the surrounding public space.

While other cities are still in the running, Gillian Darlow, Polk Brothers Foundation CEO and co-chair of the task force, said that Lucas “has a strong commitment to working with us and seeing whether we can make something happen here. This is a real effort. The city is serious. He’s serious. And the task force is serious.”

Other members of the task force include Kurt Summers, co-chair of the task force and senior vice-president of Grosvenor Capital Management; Shedd Aquarium President and CEO Ted Beattie; Walter Massey, president of the School of the Art Institute; renowned architect Jeanne Gang; Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez; Cultural Affairs and Special Events Commissioner Michelle Boone and Park District chief-of-staff Gia Biagi.

(Source: Chicago Sun-Times)

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