Obama Presidential Center Opens with 28 Art Commissions in Chicago
Later this month, the Obama Presidential Center will open in Jackson Park, Chicago, showcasing more than 28 pieces from contemporary artists such as Maya Lin and Idris Khan. This $850 million facility, crafted by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, features amenities like a basketball court, a library branch, a playground, a garden, and a plaza. Curators Virginia Shore, Crystal Moten, and Louise Bernard curated the collection to enhance the Obama story. Notable pieces include "HOPE" (2026) by Jack Pierson and "City of the Big Shoulders" (2026) by Mark Bradford. While the center promotes community involvement, there are worries about increasing housing prices and possible displacement, with contentious Obama policies excluded from the narrative.
Key facts
- Obama Presidential Center opens in Chicago's Jackson Park later this month.
- Campus cost $850 million and was designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects.
- Features over 28 commissioned artworks by artists including Idris Khan, Theaster Gates, Lorna Simpson, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, and Maya Lin.
- Curators: Virginia Shore (Commissions), Crystal Moten (Collections), Louise Bernard (Museums Director).
- Includes Home Court (NBA regulation basketball court), Chicago Public Library branch, playground, garden, plaza.
- Notable works: Jack Pierson's 'HOPE', Mark Bradford's 'City of the Big Shoulders', Nick Cave and Marie Watt's 'This Land, Shared Sky'.
- Nelson Mandela Sky Room features Carrie Mae Weems, Jenny Holzer, Idris Khan works.
- Concerns raised about gentrification, housing costs, and community displacement.
Entities
Artists
- Idris Khan
- Theaster Gates
- Lorna Simpson
- María Magdalena Campos-Pons
- Maya Lin
- Jack Pierson
- Mark Bradford
- Nick Cave
- Marie Watt
- Carrie Mae Weems
- Jenny Holzer
- Shepard Fairey
- Kehinde Wiley
- Amy Sherald
- Tonika Lewis Johnson
- Nicola Green
- Aliza Nisenbaum
- Lava Thomas
- Julie Mehretu
- Rashid Johnson
- Kiki Smith
- Martin Puryear
- Njideka Akunyili Crosby
- Tod Williams
- Billie Tsien
- Barack Obama
- Ann Dunham
- Sanford Wurmfeld
- Peter Hujar
- Paul Thek
- Andrew Durbin
- Michelle Obama
- Tyanna J. Buie
- Nekisha Durrett
- Alison Saar
- Richard Hunt
- Hugo McCloud
- Lindsay Adams
- McArthur Binion
- Torkwase Dyson
- Jules Julien
- Alma Thomas
- Cliff Rome
- Shepherd Fairey
- Lee Bey
- Anjulie Rao
- Malia Obama
- Sasha Obama
- Angela Merkel
- Donald Trump
- Jeff Bezos
- Bill Gates
- Melinda Gates
- Franklin Roosevelt
- Harry Truman
- George Bush
- Richard Nixon
- Osama bin Laden
- Michael Strautmanis
- Jeffrey Gibson
- Virginia Shore
- Allison Saar
- Louise Bernard
- Amanda Williams
- Andres L. Hernandez
- Norman Teague
- Ralph Appelbaum
- Prince Láuder
- Jimena Estíbaliz
Institutions
- Obama Presidential Center
- Obama Foundation
- Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects
- Chicago Public Library
- Hyde Park Art Center
- Southside Community Art Center
- DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center
- SkyART
- MacArthur Foundation
- Hyperallergic
- Kennedy Center
- Johnson Publishing Company
- Ebony
- Jet
- Whitewall
- Ceysson & Bénéthière
- Venice Biennale
- Penn Station
- SITE Santa Fe
- Central Saint Martins
- Expo Chicago
- Interactive Design Architects
- Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
- Site Design Group
- Living Habitats
- Anton Kern gallery
- Regen Projects
- Sean Kelly
- Gray
- National Portrait Gallery
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
- University of Chicago
- The Obama Foundation
- Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects | Partners (TWBTA)
- Interactive Design Architects (IDEA)
- Artribune
- National Archives and Records Administration
- Victoria Miro
- David Zwirner
- Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Smithsonian Institution
- Marvel Comics
- Moody Nolan Architects
- Michael Van Valkenburg Architects
- Ralph Appelbaum Associates
- Civic Projects Architecture
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago
- Weathered
- National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
- Amazon
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Chicago Tribune
- Truth Social
- Deutsche Presse-Agentur
- National Archives
- Beaux Arts Magazine
- White House Collection
- The New York Times
- Galerie Magazine
- Obama Presidential Center Museum
- Normal
- designboom
- Glocal Design Magazine
Locations
- Chicago
- United States
- Jackson Park
- Hyde Park
- Chicago's South Side
- South Loop
- Stony Island
- Selma
- Alabama
- Illinois
- South Side
- New York City
- Venice
- Italy
- Santa Fe
- Montgomery
- Washington Park
- Galveston
- Texas
- Lake Michigan
- South Side, Chicago
- White House
- Washington D.C.
- Kenya
- Los Angeles
- Occidental College
- Maryland
- Museum Campus
- John Lewis Plaza
- The Forum
- Presidential Reading Room
- Oval Office
- Washington
- Berlin
- Brandenburg Gate
- Damascus
- Syria
- Pakistan
- Miami
- Chicago Public Library