Lucas Museum plaza fences spark debate over public access

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will erect permanent stainless steel fences around its plaza, blocking main entryways despite its founding goal to bring 'people's art' to the broadest public. During its first public weekend, temporary fences covered in plastic greenery blocked entry to the architect-designed plaza, a space described as always meant to be a generous civic space.

The museum's central plaza, called the 'Gateway,' was designed by architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects to connect the institution to Los Angeles and the surrounding Expo Park. Officials from both the museum and the architecture firm confirm the temporary barriers will be replaced by permanent ones. This operational decision creates a tangible tension with the museum's stated mission of celebrating accessible narrative arts like comics and movie imagery.

Officials cite safety and flow as reasons for barriers

Museum spokesperson Seth Fowler stated the fencing is necessary to protect the pedestrian plaza from car traffic and to control visitor flow. Dixon Junliang Lu, principal at MAD Architects, said the fence design evolved as operational and security requirements became more defined. The permanent structures will be made of stainless steel.

Lu compared the forthcoming fence design to the lacy filigree of Art Nouveau architecture. He stated the fences would eventually be draped in real greenery, not plastic. Fowler emphasized the enclosure is about creating the best possible visitor experience with an eye on safety, citing protection from traffic on both sides and management of visitor numbers.

Public can access some areas without tickets, but tensions remain

Visitors without museum tickets can still enter the plaza, cafe, and gift shop after passing through a security checkpoint, pending capacity limits. The museum's adjacent park, which edges up to the building, can also be entered without a ticket or screening. However, access to this green space is limited by long fences and relatively small openings.

Further restrictions apply. The park will be closed to non-ticket holders on University of Southern California game days. This policy means locals living west of the museum who wish to reach the broader Expo Park outside Lucas park hours, which are from 8 a.m. To sunset, must handle around the entire complex.

Design and security choices contrast with earlier visions and local norms

Early renderings that introduced the Lucas Museum project to the public never showed the walls and fences now present on the plaza's perimeter. A later model, currently displayed inside the museum, does include them. This shift highlights a move from an initially open vision to a more fortified boundary.

The situation stands in contrast to other Los Angeles cultural institutions. At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's new David Geffen Galleries, for instance, visitors can enter the plazas beneath the building without passing through security. One observer noted they do not know of a single other civic plaza in Los Angeles that requires security checkpoints for entry.

This approach has drawn comparisons to the Eiffel Tower's base, which has been sealed and accessible only via lines and screening since the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris. Critics suggest security could be integrated into plazas through design elements like reinforced planters, seating, grade changes, and visible staff, with screening reserved for the museum doors themselves.

The argument is made that civic space depends on a willingness to share some level of uncertainty. If every potential risk leads to another checkpoint or barrier, control may increase but public togetherness is lost. True openness, it is suggested, depends on the freedom to enter a space without having to justify one's presence. In the coming weeks, permanent plaza fences will be erected, curvy stainless-steel structures.