PITCHING A LOCAL ALTERNATIVE FOR LUCAS MUSEUM
Facing headwinds in Chicago over plans to build his Museum of Narrative Art, Star Wars Director and Bay Area Business Hall of Fame inductee George Lucas recently commented that finding another city wasn’t out of the question. Lucas specifically mentioned Los Angeles, but the Bay Area Council humbly suggested in a letter to Mr. Lucas that he might also consider a city a little further to the north.
“It is a city with a rich history and immense promise,” said the letter from Council CEO Jim Wunderman. “Like your Rebel Alliance, it has battled great adversity against terrific odds. Of course, we are talking about the City of Oakland.” Wunderman went on to say that “there is tremendous excitement growing now about Oakland’s future. As the Bay Area economy continues its recovery, Oakland is poised for a great revival. Your museum could serve as a cultural and economic centerpiece to help Oakland thrive and prosper.”
There was no immediate reply from Mr. Lucas, but Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf embraced the idea and there appeared to be very favorable public reaction to media reports about the Council’s pitch. We wish Mr. Lucas only the best in securing a site in Chicago. But we’ll be watching closely next Thursday (March 12) when a hearing is scheduled on a lawsuit challenging the museum.
