04/22/2026
The Obama Presidential Center (OPC) depicts Chicago’s political and creative life in art-words by Denny Mwaura.
Unlike other presidential centers, the OPC’s novelty lies in its artist commissions-emblematic of Chicago’s rich political and creative life.
The museum doesn’t just tell the story of the Obamas and their values; it illustrates how the creative arts serve as a vital means of communing with others and with our shared history. Not a “time capsule” or a monument to a “great man,” as Louise Bernard, the Founding Obama Presidential Center Museum Director (), notes, but a civic hub that tells the story of everyday people.
Missed the limited EXPO ART WEEK issue? You can still read the full feature at the link in bio!
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1. Richard Hunt in the studio. Photo by Lawrence Agyei.
Courtesy the Obama Foundation.
2. Idris Khan, Andrews Road Studio. Courtesy the artist.
3. Contact sheets from The Black Image Corporation, a project by Theaster Gates. Fondazione Prada Osservatorio.
Photo by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Marco Cappelletti.
Courtesy Theaster Gates Studio and Fondazione Prada.
4. Installation of Julie Mehretu’s commissioned work, an 83-foot tall painted glass window titled Uprising of the Sun, Chicago, September 7, 2024. Courtesy the Obama Foundation.
