“Art is more about an emotional connection. Not how much it cost, or what celebrity made it. If you have an emotional connection, then it’s art. I’ve worked with hundreds of illustrators in my life, and they’re all brilliant, but they don’t get recognized for anything. This museum is a temple to the people’s art.” — George Lucas

Above: George Lucas, Guillermo del Toro, Doug Chiang, and panel moderator Queen Latifah

A little over 8 years ago I posted a piece on Muddy Colors about a new showcase for all sorts of illustration art that was being built in California. I was excited then … and I’m even more excited today.

Several weeks ago iconic director and producer George Lucas made his first appearance at the San Diego Comic Con on a panel with director Guillermo del Toro, artist & production designer Doug Chiang, and panel moderator Queen Latifah to talk about his Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, scheduled to open in Los Angeles in 2026. The museum—a sort of Mobius-strip-turned-starship building designed by Ma Yansong—will feature Lucas’s collection of 40,000 works of comic art, illustrations, and film props on an 11-acre campus next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the University of Southern California. Del Toro, who sits on the museum’s board, suggested that his own legendary collection might wind up there one day, too.

Couldn’t make it to Comic Con? Neither could I, but the museum filmed the panel so that we could all sit in. Enjoy!

“Narrative art is a way to educate kids and say, in a way, it’s okay to draw fantasy, to draw things from your mind. It shouldn’t be looked down upon. I hope this museum inspires the next Norman Rockwell or Frank Frazetta.” —Doug Chiang