While his own museum saga continues to rumble on, George Lucas has shown his philanthropic side, donating US$1.5m (€1.35m, £1.2m) to Stockbridge’s Norman Rockwell Museum.
The Massachusetts museum, dedicated to the art of Norman Rockwell, said the donation from the George Lucas Family Foundation will be used to help fund digital learning initiatives, including a digital gallery tour using virtual and augmented reality technology, an online collection of podcasts, interviews and lectures, and a new K-12 curriculum for primary and secondary education.
“This is a truly transformational grant,” said Laurie Norton Moffatt, director and CEO of the Norman Rockwell Museum. “We are deeply grateful to George Lucas for supporting our commitment to students, teachers, and lifelong learners everywhere, connecting them with Norman Rockwell’s legacy in new and compelling ways.”
According to the museum, Lucas is an “avid collector” of Norman Rockwell artworks, so it’s likely the artist’s works will feature in his new Museum of Narrative Art, which the director is currently seeking a new home for after legal complications halted a move to Chicago.
Blaming delays over a lawsuit from a parks group opposed to development along the city’s waterfront, Lucas has said that he will be taking the museum to his home state of California, but has not named a specific location. Los Angeles and San Francisco are thought to be the favourites for the project, with both city’s already expressing interest in hosting the museum.
