George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, described the long and challenging journey to open his latest project, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, as something that "almost broke my will." The museum, which officially opens on 22 September, has been nearly eight years in the making since construction began in Los Angeles. It follows earlier attempts to build the museum in San Francisco and Chicago, both of which fell through. Located near the University of Southern California, where Lucas studied, the museum is designed to resemble a spaceship and will serve as a tribute to visual storytelling across various forms, including painting, comics, photography, and sculpture. The museum’s collection includes over 100,000 sq ft of gallery space featuring works from artists like Judy Baca, Norman Rockwell, Diego Rivera, and Banksy, as well as costumes from The Wizard of Oz and drawings from Asterix and Garfield. What ties these diverse works together is their shared purpose: to tell a story, often in a single image. Lucas’s co-founder and wife, Mellody Hobson, emphasized that the museum is about the power of narrative to connect people through shared beliefs and experiences. The museum is divided into two main sections: one with galleries and theaters, and another housing a collection of murals and a research library. Designed by architect Ma Yansong, the building’s futuristic look evokes the shape of a flying saucer, though the design was inspired more by natural forms like tree canopies and clouds. A central plaza with an open, circular window offers visitors a view of the sky, symbolizing the museum’s theme of looking beyond the familiar. The journey to build the museum has been as complex as its design. Lucas began collecting art in the 1970s, eventually combining it with Hobson’s collection. Plans for the museum were first proposed about 20 years ago, but the project faced delays and relocations before finally beginning construction in Los Angeles in 2018. The museum’s ground floor takes visitors through a visual history of storytelling, starting with ancient cave paintings and moving through historical art before reaching the core collection of 20th and 21st-century works. The museum’s layout includes a mix of themed rooms, from a comics section featuring classic strips to a "community" area with works by Ernie Barnes and Frida Kahlo. While it is not a Star Wars museum, it includes nods to the franchise, such as exhibits on the films’ vehicles and costumes. The museum also features a dedicated mural room, showcasing pieces like Judith Baca’s historical mural along the Los Angeles River and works by Banksy. Unlike traditional museums, the Lucas Museum avoids detailed descriptions of the works, encouraging visitors to form their own interpretations. However, visitors can scan images with their phones to get brief information about the art. The museum aims to elevate the status of visual storytellers, many of whom have not received the same recognition as more traditional artists. Lucas and Hobson hope to highlight the impact of these artists on culture and human experience, calling their work "the People’s Art."