The Obama Presidential Center will hold its grand opening ceremony on Thursday in Chicago, marking the completion of a project that began nearly a decade after Barack Obama left office. The dedication event comes on the eve of Juneteenth and is expected to draw notable figures to celebrate the opening of the facility on the South Side of the city.
The center sits on a 19-acre campus in Jackson Park, close to where Obama lived as a young man and entered politics. The $850 million privately funded facility represents a significant departure from traditional presidential libraries. It includes a new branch of the Chicago Public Library, an NBA-regulation basketball court, a recording studio, and a sledding hill built because Michelle Obama never had one growing up on the city's South Side.
The museum showcases the legacy of former President Obama, highlighting his eight years in office and his impact on American politics and society. Unlike traditional presidential libraries operated by the National Archives, the Obama Presidential Center functions as a museum and community hub. The centerpiece is a 225-foot granite-covered monolith that houses the museum.
A defining feature of the center is its commissioned artwork. Barack and Michelle Obama commissioned original works by 30 artists from diverse backgrounds, a bold move never before seen at such scale at a presidential library. These artworks are dotted throughout the campus and interior spaces.
The art collection includes significant pieces such as Martin Puryear's monumental sculpture "Bending the Arc," inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.'s words about the arc of moral justice. Richard Hunt's "Book Bird," located in the library reading garden, depicts a bird bursting from book pages to evoke the emancipatory power of reading. This was Hunt's final work before his death in 2023.
Other notable artworks include an 83-foot-tall painted glass window by Ethiopian American artist Julie Mehretu titled "Uprising of the Sun," and a mixed-media portrait of Barack and Michelle Obama by Nigerian American artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby. Mark Bradford's "City of the Big Shoulders" is a 38-foot-tall textured painting mapping Chicago and Lake Michigan.
According to Valerie Jarrett, chief executive of the Obama Foundation, the Obamas wanted visitors to engage with art in meaningful ways. "We want people who come here to look at a piece of art, stand next to a stranger, have a conversation about that piece of art and how it touches them each in their own individual ways," Jarrett said.
The opening marks the beginning of public access to the center, which organizers hope will become a significant cultural and educational destination in Chicago. The facility aims to engage visitors with interactive exhibits and programming related to the Obama presidency and broader themes of American democracy and civic participation.