The George Lucas Family Foundation has provided what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences calls a “transformative grant” in support of the Academy Museum’s educational mission.
Kerry Brougher, Director of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, did not reveal the amount of the Star Wars creator’s donation but said the funds will be used to create an endowment underwriting free admission to the museum in perpetuity for visitors ages 17 and younger.
He added that the George Lucas Family Foundation established the grant in honor of Sid Ganis, former president and current VP of the Academy’s Board of Governors and Chair of its Museum Committee.
The museum is “committed to helping educate our youngest visitors: the children and teens who will be the next generation of filmmakers, writers, and visual artists,” Brougher said. “To succeed, though, we must break down the financial barriers that make it difficult for families, students and teens to visit cultural institutions. … Although not every child who visits the Academy Museum will embark on a career in filmmaking, each young person deserves to be inspired by the new perspectives and ideas that come through their exposure to the arts.”
Said Ganis: “I could not be more honored and humbled by George’s gift to young movie lovers around the world. Education has always been a primary goal of George’s storytelling. Now through his incredible generosity young people from everywhere can experience and learn about the art and the techniques of filmmaking.”
Brougher also announced today the appointment of Amy Homma as the museum’s first Director of Education and Public Engagement. She most recently was with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
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