Unseen Star Wars animation and decades of popular art will soon find a permanent home as part of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, according to disclosures made during a San Diego Comic-Con panel by museum senior curator Ryan Linkof and creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich. The institution, slated to open in September, features a 100,000-square-foot exhibition space housing 33 galleries alongside two dedicated theaters designed to showcase the intersection of technology, storytelling, and visual media.
Lucas Museum Exhibition Brings Unseen Star Wars Detours to the Public
Star Wars fans will finally get a chance to view episodes of Star Wars: Detours, an animated parody series created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich in the early 2010s that never officially aired before the Walt Disney Co. bought Lucasfilm in 2012. According to Seth Green, who spoke during the Hall H panel, the museum will feature a curated public display of episodes from the shelved project. Alongside Green and Senreich, the panel featured DC comic artist Jim Lee, senior curator Ryan Linkof, and moderator Keke Palmer.
Inside the Robert Flaherty and Slavko Vorkapich Theaters
Visitors to the Lucas Museum can access the Robert Flaherty Theater and the Slavko Vorkapich Theater through an open-door, drop-in gallery experience, according to Ryan Linkof. The Flaherty focus centers on documentaries covering artists whose work appears in the museum, including Norman Rockwell, Jim Lee, Charles Schulz, Maurice Sendak, Diego Rivera, J.C. Leyendecker, and Weegee. It will also screen Robert Mann’s documentary Comic Book Confidential. Meanwhile, the Vorkapich Theater targets the motion of emotion, screening early silent films by Georges Méliès, Émile Cohl, W.K.L. Dickson, and Edwin S. Porter. Additional screenings include Winsor McCay animations, Looney Tunes, anime from Cowboy Bebop, an episode of Star Wars: Visions, and student films produced by George Lucas between 1965 and 1969.
Did you know? The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art includes 33 galleries across 100,000 square feet of exhibition space, specifically designed to spotlight popular arts such as comic books, illustration, and film.
Elevating Commercial and Popular Arts to Fine Art Status
Panelists emphasized that the museum deliberately diverges from traditional fine art institutions by centering on popular culture and mass entertainment. According to Ryan Linkof, the facility serves as a home for art that people live with, encompassing book and magazine illustration, comic books, children’s book illustrations, poster art, and film. DC comic artist Jim Lee noted during the panel that the museum successfully elevates commercial art to the same tier as modern and contemporary fine art. Seth Green added a perspective on how society’s view of geek culture has evolved, stating that people have lived long enough to see the media they once faced backlash for loving transformed into the fine art of the current era.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art open?
The museum is scheduled to open in September.
Will Star Wars: Detours be shown at the museum?
Yes, according to creator Seth Green, a curation of episodes from the unreleased animated series will be on display for the public.
What kinds of art will be exhibited at the museum?
According to Ryan Linkof and Jim Lee, the museum focuses on popular arts, including comic book art, book and magazine illustration, children’s book art, poster art, and film.
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