LOS ANGELES, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Finally, after several years of planning and proposals in different cities, George Lucas' Museum of Narrative Art is no longer just a concept. The "Star Wars" filmmaker's non-profit museum officially breaks ground Wednesday at its future location in parking lot 3 of Los Angeles' Exposition Park.
"Narrative art is the one that shows us what we believe in and what we want to be," Lucas said at the groundbreaking ceremony, with appearances by his wife Mellody Hobson, director Steven Spielberg, Los Angeles' Mayor Eric Garcetti and others.
With thousands of exhibits, ranging from paintings to comic strips to film props, costumes and storyboards, Lucas said exhibits will attempt to explain visual storytelling from the days of cave paintings to modern movies.
"I think that's very fascinating. You can see it through history, and it's very important," explained Lucas. "The emphasis that I'd like to put on narrative art is that it does tell us who we are and where we came from."
In addition to its narrative art collections spanning several media forms from paintings to films, the museum will house a dining area, theaters, lecture halls, classrooms, and a public research library.
"In my feelings, popular art is an insight into society and what they aspire to - what they really are," added Lucas, who funds the museum.
Designed by Chinese architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects, the museum will occupy a corner of Exposition Park and transform the parking lot space into a cultural destination surrounded by 11 acres of new gardens and park space.
"It's like a floating cloud. So we can free up a lot of public space on the lower level and at the same time we create another roof garden," Ma, founder of Beijing-based studio MAD, told Xinhua.
"It's a 21st-century building designed by a young architect who is very forward-thinking," Don Bacigalupi, the founding president of the museum said. "It's a building that could not be realized as recently as 10 years ago because of the tools utilized."
Garcetti estimated that its construction, scheduled to be completed by late 2021, and opening this museum will create thousands of jobs.
Spielberg has been added as the latest member of the museum's board, Bacigalupi announced at the ceremony. The famed director also grabbed a shovel during part of the official groundbreaking to join the celebration.
