Lucas Museum Construction Putting L.A. Residents to Work -- Next Construction Job Fair is Sept. 16
LOS ANGELES—Councilmember Curren Price of Council District 9 today announced that 76 percent of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art’s construction workers live in L.A. County, more than double the project’s local hire goals. Since breaking ground on the museum’s 11-acre campus in Exposition Park in March 2018, the privately-funded project has employed 1,477 construction workers throughout various phases of construction. In addition to hiring local workers, the Lucas Museum has shown commitment to increasing the pipeline of small businesses and businesses owned by women, minorities, and veterans for consideration at various levels of construction and professional services.
Construction workers with Councilmember Curren Price at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art construction site, photo by Dedee Verdin
To reach these ambitious goals, the museum and contractor Hathaway Dinwiddie have hosted and participated in community construction outreach events in partnership with Councilmember Price’s Office. Interested workers and businesses are invited to attend the next construction job fair on Monday, Sept. 16, from 10 – 11:30 a.m. at USC’s Galen Center.
“I applaud the Lucas Museum’s investment in our community and their creation of opportunities for local workers and businesses to be part of this project,” said Councilman Price, whose Ninth District includes the Lucas Museum. “My Office works to make sure new projects in Council District 9 include meaningful investments in the community, including local hiring. Not only do these major projects provide job growth, but they have a tremendous economic development impact within the district. This project is a model not just for Los Angeles, but for the country.”
“We are committed to ensuring construction opportunities are accessible to qualified businesses that have historically been underrepresented in the construction field—from women to minorities and veterans,” said Germonique Ulmer, managing director of external affairs at the Lucas Museum. “Consistent with the values of the museum and our founders, the Lucas Museum seeks to inspire positive change in how institutions engage and partner in communities starting with construction and throughout the establishment of the museum.”
“This is an excellent beginning to what will be one of the most significant projects in L.A. history,” said Ron Miller, executive secretary at the Los Angeles and Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council.
Outreach Efforts to Date
The Lucas Museum, Hathaway Dinwiddie, and Councilmember Price’s Office have engaged in robust community outreach efforts to expand the pool of local and diverse candidates and businesses. The project has participated in numerous community events and has hosted four outreach events which were attended by local businesses and more than 1,000 job-seekers, many of whom were new to construction or not yet part of a union. The project has partnered on recruitment efforts with community partners including Slate Z, L.A. Trade-Tech, the City of L.A., local unions, and other workforce development nonprofits.
“We attended the Lucas Museum’s outreach event last year,” said Jennifer Wiltz, president of SMS Transportation Services, a South L.A. transportation subcontractor. “It’s incredible to be working on this major project in our backyard. We’ve had eight staff working for the museum construction site for more than 6,000 hours over the past year and a half and can’t wait to bring our team and their families to the museum when it opens.”
Sept. 16 Construction Job Fair
On Sept. 16 from 10 – 11:30 a.m., Councilmember Curren Price along with the Lucas Museum and Hathaway Dinwiddie will host their next public job fair at USC’s Galen Center (3400 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90089). In addition to booths from the project’s general contractor and subcontractors, the event will feature a presentation by museum staff and a presentation by union representatives on how to access union jobs. Job-seekers will have the opportunity after the presentations to talk with museum staff, representatives from Hathaway Dinwiddie, and subcontractors. This event is free and open to all those interested in a career in construction. For additional information and to RSVP, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lucas-museum-of-narrative-art-local-worker-hire-meeting-2-tickets-64988927632
View and download video interviews with local construction workers at the Lucas Museum, construction images, and building renderings:
https://lucasmuseum.org/buildi...
https://lucasmuseum.org/media-...
###
About Council District 9 and Councilmember Curren Price
Curren Price was born and raised in the Los Angeles City Council District that he was elected to represent in 2013 and overwhelmingly re-elected in 2017. His first job as an adolescent shining shoes gave him a perspective on the struggles of working-class families and cemented a lifelong commitment to serve his community. The 9th District encompasses South Los Angeles and some of the City’s most notable destinations, including the LA Convention Center, Staples Center and L.A. Live, Exposition Park, the University of Southern California and Los Angeles Trade-Technical College. District 9 is ethnically diverse and multi-cultural—composed largely of working families with Latinos representing more than 80 percent of constituents, followed by African Americans. In his role, Price is focused on building a more thriving future for local families, which includes economic growth and opportunity, increasing affordable housing, working to reduce homelessness and defending the rights of immigrants.
About the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
As the first museum to focus exclusively on storytelling through images, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art believes that visual storytelling can connect us and help shape a more just society. With a growing collection that encompasses artworks from across cultures, places, times, and mediums, including paintings, sculptures, murals, photography, comic art, book and magazine illustrations, and the arts of filmmaking, the Lucas Museum will explore narrative art’s potential to prompt questions, invite opinions, inspire community, and move people to think about the impact of images on our world.
Co-founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the Lucas Museum was designed by renowned architect Ma Yansong of MAD Architects with Stantec as executive architect and is under construction in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park. An 11-acre campus with extensive new green space designed by Studio-MLA will embrace the museum’s 300,000-square-foot building, which will feature expansive galleries, two state-of-the-art theaters, and dedicated spaces for learning and engagement, dining, retail, and events.
About Hathaway Dinwiddie
Hathaway Dinwiddie has a rich history of delivering successful building projects as a general contractor, design-builder, and construction manager. Consistently ranked in the Top 100 general contractors in the United States, Hathaway Dinwiddie provides general contracting, project planning, and management services in California’s most dynamic markets. We have helped the nation's premier companies and institutions develop landmark structures and quality interior spaces throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, and Southern California. With over 100 years of experience, Hathaway Dinwiddie brings industry-best capabilities, people, and advanced technologies to every project to inspire possibilities. From the moment we engage, we collaborate, plan, and think ahead. We never stop until we have delivered the best value for every project. This “Whatever it Takes” attitude drives every client relationship and work product.