Lucas Museum CEO Responds to Staff Departures: George Lucas ‘Has Always Been Chief Curator’
The CEO of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Tracey Bates, told the New York Times that staff turnover and layoffs in 2025 did not alter the museum’s direction, saying George Lucas “has always been the chief curator” and that its “mission, vision and values” have not changed. ARTnews notes that the museum previously appointed Pilar Tompkins Rivas as chief curator in 2020, but she departed in 2025; the museum then stated that Lucas had directed curatorial and content decisions for the prior year and would continue through the September 2026 opening. Other departures included former CEO Sandra Jackson-Dumont in February 2025, curator-at-large Dan Nadel (who joined the Whitney Museum), and earlier, director of public programs Amanda Hunt in 2022 (who went to the Walker Art Center). The museum also laid off 14% of its workforce in 2025, with cuts largely affecting learning and engagement and museum services. The Lucas Museum, founded by collectors George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, opens to the public on September 22 and presents “narrative art” ranging from Star Wars props to works by Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Norman Rockwell, as well as an illustration of Pikachu and recreations of cave paintings.
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This story was covered in Funding Fights, Fee Hikes, and Biennale Blowback