By Pamela Jackson, Comic Arts Librarian
The long-awaited roughly $1 billion Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is set to open to the general public on September 22, 2026. I was lucky enough to visit during their Member Preview Days this week. I’m not an art critic and do not typically offer public reviews of museums, but here are a few of my impressions from yesterday’s visit.
Architecturally, the building is stunning. The five-story museum swirls in sexy curves and appears to hover above Exposition Park like a spaceship, although the architect cites clouds and tree canopies as their inspiration. Its dramatic exterior continues inside through vaulted ceilings, rounded spaces, great glass elevators, more than 30 galleries, two theaters, yet-to-open classrooms, a research library, and dining areas (reservations at Skywalker Grill are booked out until well into November so plan accordingly). Surrounding the museum are publicly accessible landscapes of native and drought-tolerant plants, trees, winding paths, meadows, an amphitheater, a hanging garden, fountains, and sculptures ranging from historical figures to Star Wars characters. Together, the building and grounds create an immersive, deliberately theatrical environment.
As a librarian who celebrates pop culture every day and frequently engages with museums and exhibits of so-(wrongly)-called “lowbrow art,” I tend to forget that popular art has not always received the broad, serious institutional treatment it deserves (because in my world, amongst my peers, it does get such treatment!). The Lucas Museum may help to further legitimize popular art for the masses by elevating comics, illustration, children’s books, manga, murals, film design, and movie artifacts in galleries alongside established fine artists.
The galleries consist predominantly of framed art hung on walls with simple identification tags. They weave through the curved building and are collated into broad categories, for example: Work, Motherhood, School, Love, Community, Sports or more medium/genre-based categories such as Comics, Manga, and Children’s Stories. I’m of two minds about the experience. If you’re the type of museum-goer who enjoys a self-directed stroll to look at art and maybe have an emotional reaction or make meaning of what you see based solely on your current personal knowledge of a subject, may your visit be stellar. I have, at times, been that visitor and I think this museum works well for that. However, if you want exhibits that contextualize the human experience and historical significance of what you’re seeing, challenge your assumptions, and further your knowledge, the museum may fall short for you.
There has been some well-reasoned criticism of the museum (see this article, for example). Peers have called the lack of education and contextualization “perplexing,” and I would agree. There is no introductory text on the walls of each gallery to place the art chosen for display in context. The official Map & Brochure was only available behind the counter in the main lobby. Not only were maps not offered to visitors unless you knew to go ask for one, but staff limited them to one per party because there weren’t enough to go around, which I found odd for a project of this caliber and cost. I got mine on my way out only after learning about them from other visitors in the 4th floor galleries. I knew from a peer to look for a QR Code near the entrance that would load a Digital Guide to provide more context for the exhibits. I wish I had been able to push a manual wheelchair and read the digital guide while perusing the galleries, but that was not feasible, nor should it have to be. Sadly, the level of tech-savvy was too low for the wheelchair user in my care to read the Digital Guide for us. It would also be difficult for anyone using non-electric mobility aids (canes, walkers, crutches) or pushing strollers to read the guide during their visit. I did take a look at it after my visit and it would definitely have enhanced my experience so I highly recommend loading that guide when you enter! I’ll add here that accessibility for disabled visitors was generally quite decent. Staff, volunteers and security were very helpful and attentive, and the building was designed with accommodation in mind, with the notable exception of difficult-to-open manual doors on the bathrooms. That experience is not unique to this museum, but I do wish new buildings in particular would consider such things like automatic door openers or open entry design like one sees in modern airports.
Surprising nobody, my favorite galleries were Comics, Graphic Stories, and Manga. On display are works by George Herriman, Jack Kirby, Alison Bechdel, Moebius, Charles Schulz, Marie Severin, Chris Ware, Otto Mesmer, Walt Kelley, Jaime Hernandez, Breena Nunez, and Marjane Satrapi among many others. I nerded out quite a bit. The visitor with me, however, was used to viewing finished artwork in museums and was not familiar with the comics creation process. At one point, while looking at an unfinished page of a comic, they asked me, “What’s the point of this hanging in a museum, though?” I sucked in a deep, anguished breath and briefly explained pencils, inks, blue inks, paste-ups and so on and why it is so rad to see stages of the creative process, especially hanging in a major museum. This one small exchange during my visit highlights the risks and shortfalls of not providing visitors with an accessible educational experience that does not rely so heavily on technology.
As a librarian, I’ll close with a highlight of the museum: its research library. I confess that I don’t know much more about the library and how one might access any primary source materials for research yet (assuming it is even their intent to allow that). I’m told the collection contains original art (obviously) and more than 30,000 comic books, particularly strong in Silver Age holdings, as well as Kitchen Sink Press materials and collections related to underground and political comics. For comics scholars, this may ultimately be more important than the public galleries.
I don’t think the general public will be disappointed! It’s a stunning stroll through some super cool art and there’s likely something for everyone to geek out about. As a library and museum professional, I would love to see more of an educational component. I look forward to seeing the museum develop and grow.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is located in Exposition Park in South Los Angeles adjacent to the University of Southern California. Tickets for adults are set at $25 and currently require a timed entry reservation so book your visit in advance.
