May the 4th: The Smithsonian celebrates Star Wars Day

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September 2026

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Event Details

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art celebrates the power of visual storytelling. Founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the museum explores how images move us and shape our collective memory. From Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait to Norman Rockwell’s scenes of everyday life to Charles White’s portraits of dignity. Each invites reflection. Each tells a story.

Designed by Ma Yansong of MAD, the Lucas Museum is located in Exposition Park in the South Los Angeles region. The museum’s campus includes new green space designed by Mia Lehrer and her team at Studio-MLA. Inside the building, our galleries explore timeless themes—family, love, work, play, fantasy, and more. Additional spaces include two state-of-the-art cinematic theaters and dedicated areas for learning, dining, retail, and events.

George Lucas and Mellody Hobson share a conviction that illustrated stories connect people across cultures and generations. Their decades of collecting span iconic American painting and popular illustration, comics, and cinematic art.

Lucas, creator of the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, and founder of the George Lucas Educational Foundation began collecting in college, when the only art he could afford was original comic art for $30. Over 50 years, that collection has grown to more than 40,000 works. “I could never sell my art,” Lucas says. “It just is not what I think art is. I think it’s more about an emotional connection with the work, not how much it cost.”

Hobson, in addition to managing Ariel Investments, is the former chair of Starbucks Corporation and serves as a director of JPMorganChase.

In 2010, Hobson and Lucas signed the Giving Pledge, a campaign and public promise by some of the world’s wealthiest philanthropists to give the majority of their wealth to charitable causes. The pair is committed to improving education, particularly through the arts. “We’ve always said we’re holding society’s money, which we fully intend to give back,” Hobson says. “This is how we’re doing it.”

Time

September 22, 2026 12:01 AM - 11:59 PM(GMT-07:00)

Calendar GoogleCal

February 2027

fri19feb12:01 AM11:59 PMStar Wars 50th Anniversary releaseEvent starts in

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The Smithsonian are getting in on the May the 4th action, bringing us this Zoom presentation on Sunday 4th May 2025 from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm Eastern, costing $20.00 for members and $25.00 for non-members. Learn more about the GFFA by looking at the artifacts of the film, and follow the journey of R2-D2 and C-3PO.

Star Wars is a global phenomenon with powerful themes, a well-constructed world, and adventure narratives possessing universal appeal. Come May 4th every year, people proudly celebrate Star Wars Day. With such a monumental legacy in pop culture, the question for a museum becomes how to go about safeguarding delicate treasures from the films and providing perspective on their importance for future generations. In conversation, Smithsonian curators celebrate the Star Wars universe and its place in a familiar galaxy not so far, far away.

The National Air and Space Museum has a long-standing interest in how spaceflight has been imagined. Space History department chair Margaret A. Weitekamp explains how the influential and expansive vision of Star Wars can be understood by considering artifacts from action figures to props and vehicles used in the films.

Curator Ryan Lintelman and conservator Dawn Wallace from the National Museum of American History discuss the journey of C-3P0 and R2-D2 to their new home in “Entertainment Nation,” the first permanent exhibit exploring how music, sports, and entertainment have helped to shape American history. The event is moderated by NPR host, TV critic, and media analyst Eric Deggans.

SourceSmithsonian

Mark Newbold

Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in '81 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He currently contributes to ILM.com and SkywalkerSound.com, having previously written for Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Starburst Magazine, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia and Model and Collectors Mart. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host (the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since it began in 2015), the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.

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