Sandra Jackson-Dumont was recently named the director and chief executive officer of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which is currently under construction in Exposition Park.
“In many cases, folks just don’t understand how to use museums outside of school,” Jackson-Dumont said in a previous interview. “If we invest in making museums feel like the spaces are an extension of people’s lives rather than a tourist destination, I believe that museums will have a greater cadre of cultural ambassadors.”
Jackson-Dumont, a San Francisco native, will be joining the museum in January 2020 from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where she served as the chairman of education and public programs.
“I am honored to lead the Lucas Museum Jackson-Dumont said. “This is a fantastic opportunity to join an ambitious organization at a crucial time in its founding and development.”
Along with museum co-founders, Filmmaker George Lucas and Ariel Investments President Mellody Hobson, the board of directors chose Jackson-Dumont for her more than 20 years of experience working in museums, including the Seattle Art Museum, along with New York city’s Studio Museum and Whitney Museum of American Art.
Jackson-Dumont received her B.A. in art history from Sonoma State University and her M.A. in art history from Howard University.
“Education is at the core of our mission, so it’s fitting that the director of the Lucas Museum be a deeply experienced museum educator,” Hobson said. “Sandra has more than two decades of experience in the field and we believe she is the leader who will help bring our vision of creating an inspiring and accessible museum to life.”
Throughout her career, Jackson-Dumont has developed programming to engage a broad range of audiences.
“We want the Lucas Museum to be a vital resource for our community and we believe Sandra will help us achieve that goal,” Lucas said.
Reporting to the museum board of directors, Jackson-Dumont will manage a staff of more than 230 by the time the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens to the public in 2022.
The museum will contain more than 100,000 works of art, including original illustrations, paintings, comic art and photography. It will also feature two cinematic theaters, a research library, restaurants, underground parking, plus retail and event spaces.
The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is being designed to celebrate the power and significance of visual storytelling and its power to bring people together.
“The focus of the museum is to open up people’s imaginations and inspire them to dream beyond what is considered possible,” Lucas said. “Narrative art and storytelling stirs our emotions, shapes our aspirations as a society and is the glue that binds us together around our common beliefs.”
