Hello my fellow San Diego Comic-Con 2026 Convention-goers,
I am here, nearly a month before the grand opening after the convention, to finally start reporting on the wonderful interviews I had during my time down at San Diego Comic-Con. It’s always a pleasure to do so. The yearly convention is always such fun chaos! Madness. And nerds, down at Comic-Con. I always find something fascinating and wonderful down there. I’m incredibly happy this year gave us a glimpse of what the future holds for pop culture, art, and museums.
One such person who has his finger on the pulse of what the arts can do for the world is, of course, none other than George Lucas himself: the man, the visionary, the director, the writer. The iconic legend graced us with his presence last year in Hall H in 2025, the first time that’s happened, which was fantastic. This year, although Mr. Lucas wasn’t here, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art was there.
Not only was there a panel, but I also had the immense pleasure of talking to Ryan Linkof. Ryan is the senior curator at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which will open in September of 2026 in Los Angeles.
When I sat down at the round table with Ryan, I, of course, was wearing my Skywalker Ranch T-shirt, which I thought was appropriate for the occasion.
It’s wonderful to sit down and talk to someone who is an expert in their field and can give his insight into what the Lucas Museum will have within its walls.
Of course, Ryan had to be a little secretive because he didn’t want to reveal everything that would be at the museum grand opening. However, Ryan did give us at least some hints about what to expect at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in our interview included below.
I think it’s amazing that George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, decided to build this incredible institution. George himself has said many times that art has influenced him not only in his movies but also in his daily life. So, it was wonderful to sit down with Ryan, who talked about that.
As Ryan mentioned, the museum is dedicated to visual storytelling, not just through movies but also through art and comics. He noted that George made that point when he was in Hall H last year. For the first Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts, Ryan described what will be in the museum itself as “the people’s art,” meaning art from everywhere and from everyone.
Ryan had the pleasure of working closely with the museum’s founders and noted that each has their own vision for the museum. Each brings their own perspective to the museum. Everything that inspires them will be part of the collection. It’s rare that a Senior Curator gets to collaborate so closely with the founders and has the same level, if not more, love for what they’re doing.
One of the things Ryan emphasized is that George wants art to give the viewer an emotional reaction, whether it’s a comic, a painting, a figure, a piece of film, a photograph, whatever it is. George wants to make sure there’s an emotional journey from the moment you step through those doors. Ryan helps make sure patrons get an emotional journey, and that the artists themselves get their work seen, heard, and respected by the masses. George has been collecting art for 50 years and, aside from being one of the greatest parts of pop culture, has built this entire world of Star Wars that’s not only what George is known for. Ryan wants to make sure people expecting the museum to be Star Wars will see some of that, but it won’t be solely Star Wars. The museum will also include many other things George has loved over the years.
Ryan mentioned that the Museum will open with about 1300 artworks, so it’s hard to choose a single favorite. He really appreciates the work of some artists in the collection, and he’s come to value it. And “I guess if I don’t have to choose a single object, we do have a presentation of the work of Frank Frazetta. That’s just an artist he cares to appreciate in full; given that it’s all assembled and in one place, it’s extremely special.”
Ryan gave us some background on how he became involved with the Lucas Museum. He completed his graduate studies at the University of Southern California (USC) and had worked at various Los Angeles institutions since 2011. Ryan was a curator at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), then moved to the Academy Museum of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. While he was at the Academy, the founding director of the Academy Museum of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences met with him and encouraged Ryan to apply. Ryan was fortunate to get the job and finally joined the museum as its first curator in 2018. “So, I’ve been with the project basically since the program.”
Ryan mentioned that someone from the Lucas archives will be working on a Star Wars exhibit. Someone who’s worked with the LucasFilm production archive materials for 25 years has also been an important part of that project. The exhibition focuses on Star Wars vehicles. George has a deep interest in automobiles and machines, and the exhibition reflects that interest. These are some of the largest objects in the museum’s collection. They include full-size pod racers and speeder bikes. You’ll be thrilled to see them on display. There have been several traveling exhibitions over the years that have come from the archive, and some, particularly those related to that, have never been shown. Ryan did mention there is a lot to see regarding Star Wars, but he was tight-lipped about what exactly. We will see. Some level of secrecy is to be expected before the museum opens.
Ryan has always been interested in the intersection of art, mass media, and popular art. There have been challenges, of course, and the project has had its difficulties, particularly with certain pieces. “This is what makes the project so exciting and why I feel like I’ve stuck around for eight years. In some ways, I can’t imagine myself working anywhere else at this point, because it really does, in some ways, not even create an adversarial relationship between fine and popular art. It just does away with the distinction.”
One question he often gets is whether all art tells a story. His position, which he’s come to through his work with the museum, is that all art has a story, right? That all art has a story about who made it, but not all artists tell stories. And that really is the distinction that matters for art that translates words and images. “That’s what we’re talking about when we’re talking at Lucas Museum. So, it’s helpful to make that distinction.”
At the panel at Comic Con, they announced the museum’s film program, which is something we haven’t announced before. And it’s an extremely unique kind of film program. Two beautiful cinematic theaters will be programmed all day, continuously. There will be an open-door film program where you can come, go, and stay as short or as long as you’d like. Everything from the earliest cinema experiments to animation, documentaries, experimental films, and avant-garde, so you’re going to have a chance to see an amazing number of things you’ve never seen anywhere else.
Another press person mentioned that Comic Con is so popular because of collectors, what that has to do with the museum, and what George has done in the past. Memorabilia, per se, isn’t necessarily a specific part of the collecting parameters. “Comic Con is an important audience for us. I feel like there’s an implicit understanding of what the project is and what it’s doing. The people who are enthusiastic about collecting memorabilia and merchandise, I think, will find a happy home.”
The idea is to rotate exhibitions over time. Some materials are light-sensitive, for example, but they also want to keep the exhibitions fresh. Ryan mentioned that some exhibitions may travel around the world through the museum. They’re, of course, still getting all of that done. “I think that’s something we’re still working through, and I think they’ll be interested. We’re focused on opening, and we’ll see what comes next.”
There are 33 galleries across those 100,000 square feet. Only one of those galleries is dedicated to Star Wars, so there’s a lot of other content. The museum has great comic art holdings, including some Japanese Manga, which is exciting. They have many important illustrators, including Norman Rockwell, Maxfield Parrish, and Frank Frazetta. They also have exhibitions organized around themes. “George often talks about shared human stories, so we’ll have exhibitions dedicated to work, family, and small displays, as well as narrative genres like science fiction and fantasy, so there’s plenty of substance.”
The museum app has a digital guide you can use to learn more about objects and similar items. At the opening, there will be several exhibitions, including one with many media components that is really beautiful and very special. For interactivity, the app is the place for that.
It was such a pleasure to talk to Ryan about the museum, what it will entail, and what we have to look forward to once it opens. I am so happy that Ryan, George, and Mellody are involved in such a huge undertaking and are bringing more art into the world, not just paintings, but, as he mentioned, visual arts, comic arts, Japanese arts, painting, sculpture, movies, everything. Another reporter asked about AI and, especially, what’s happening in the world, and whether the museum would have anything to do with it.
Ryan mentioned that the museum is more interested in human stories made by human hands, in various forms. “What’s really amazing is that it is a platform for artists who really haven’t had one in an institutional setting. Art museums have not tended to value and appreciate illustrators and other commercial artists very often. George used the term “temple of peoples,” something he said last year. And I think it’s a really nice term to talk about those kinds of art that really surround us every day. A forum for artists who haven’t really had that is just such a special project. “
In conclusion, I am excited to have sat down with Ryan to talk about the upcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, and I cannot wait to see it once it opens in September 2026.
I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I enjoyed interviewing Ryan. I hope you will visit the museum as well to get a feel for it. For a brief glimpse into what art does for the human spirit, we include both Lucas Museum of Narrative Art panels from San Diego Comic-Con 2025 and 2026 below for your enjoyment.
Thanks to Kenn for audio, video and image embedding for my feature article and thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency. We will be back in the future with additional analysis about the superb series we are covering in 2026 and more about our Team WHR adventures at San Diego Comic-Con 2026!
Please feel free to leave a comment here or If you prefer, you may also click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit me on Twitter by clicking the links or images avatars in this news story.
Until next time,
Regards,