'Star Wars' creator eyes Chicago for museum

Suburban "Star Wars" fans soon might not have far to travel to explore the images and storytelling that have inspired creator George Lucas.

Chicago is one of the cities being considered as the home for the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum, a facility that will celebrate more than a century of visual storytelling, from masters like Norman Rockwell to the latest in computer-generated art.

"Chicago is second city to no one, and we're delighted that the city is interested in being the museum's home," David Perry, a museum spokesman, said Thursday.

All of the art displayed in the museum will have a personal or professional connection to Lucas. Images and memorabilia from the "Star Wars" saga, Lucas' most celebrated creation, will be a big part of the museum, but it will also include works by Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth, comic-book illustrations and boundary-pushing digital animation.

"Storytelling art ... shows us what we believe in, what our mythology is, what our aspirations and dreams are," Lucas says in a video on the museum's website.

Lucas has spent four years trying to find a home for the museum in San Francisco, Perry said. As proposed, the museum would be built with no public money.

While San Francisco still has a proposal on the table, Lucas felt it was time to look at other locations, too, Perry said.

Chicago would seem to have an advantage over most other locations because the city has become a second home to Lucas. His wife, Mellody Hobson, is a Chicago native, and they spend a lot of time in the city.

Perry said he expects to receive a proposal from the city soon. Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

For more information about the museum, go to lucasculturalartsmuseum.org.