Lucas Museum CEO Addresses Staff Departures As Institution Opens

(MENAFN- USA Art News) The chief executive of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has addressed recent layoffs and high-profile staff departures, which occurred in 2025 as the Los Angeles institution prepared for its inauguration. Tracey Bates, who became CEO in January after replacing Sandra Jackson-Dumont, stated in a New York Times profile that the turnover had not affected operations. The $1 billion private museum was founded by collectors George Lucas and Mellody Hobson.

Bates told the Times,“George Lucas has always been the chief curator.” She added,“the planning, the mission, vision and values of this organization have never changed.” However, Lucas was not always the chief curator. In 2020, Pilar Tompkins Rivas was appointed chief curator, a position she held until her departure in 2025. At the time of Tompkins Rivas's exit, the museum stated:“George Lucas has been responsible for all curatorial and content direction for the last year and will continue to work closely with the team as we move forward toward opening in September 2026.”

Tompkins Rivas was among several prominent staffers who left in 2025. Jackson-Dumont departed in February, with the museum citing a“new organizational design to split the current role into two positions.” Dan Nadel, the museum's curator-at-large, left to join the Whitney Museum in New York. Also in 2025, the museum reduced its workforce by 14 percent, primarily impacting the learning and engagement and museum services departments. An earlier notable departure was Amanda Hunt, director of public programs, who left in 2022 for the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis.

Hunt and Tompkins Rivas were part of a group of six women of color hired in 2020 for top roles at the museum. By the time Tompkins Rivas left in 2025, only two of those initial hires remained on staff. The Lucas Museum focuses on“narrative art,” a concept described by its founders, who are both featured on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list, as art across various mediums used for storytelling. Its collection includes Star Wars props, paintings by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, an illustration of Pikachu, drawings by Norman Rockwell, and cave painting recreations. The museum opens to the public on September 22. George Lucas described the museum's decade-long realization, which was marked by delays and controversy, as a formidable undertaking.“This one almost broke my will,” the Star Wars creator remarked at a press conference, as reported by Variety.

We previously reported:

Half of Phillips' executive leadership team, including Miety Heiden and Jonathan Crockett, are among several high-ranking employees who have departed the

Source: ARTnews

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