Sneak peek: Artwork at the Obama Presidential Center
Discover more than 20 world-renowned artists whose work will appear at the Obama Presidential Center.
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When the Obama Presidential Center opens in June, original works of art from more than two dozen world-renowned artists will greet visitors throughout the 19.3 campus–-allowing world-class art to be publicly accessible throughout the center.
From the White House to the Obama Presidential Center, President and Mrs. Obama have used the art as a tool to inspire, empower, and connect people from around the world.
To date, we have worked with 28 commissioned artists on installations that encourage visitors to open their imaginations and reflect on their ability to bring change home. Nearly all of the pieces are outside or in areas that are free to the public during operating hours. The installations represent a variety of artworks including sculptures, murals, and more. The vast majority of the artwork will be free to view and available to the public.
Take a look at a few of the artists that will be featured when the Center opens in June 2026.
Nick Cave & Marie Watt
This Land, Shared Sky
(Museum | Main Lobby Acoustic Element)
A monumental multimedia textile installation is made with beaded nets embedded with sculptural jingle elements, This Land, Shared Sky merges Indigenous and Black traditions in a celebration of movement, sound, and shared resilience. This work marks the first collaboration between Nick Cave and Marie Watt.
Nekisha Durrett
The Hem of Heaven
(Forum | Harriet Tubman Courtyard)
Durrett’s ambitious freestanding sculpture installed in the Harriet Tubman Courtyard, Hem of Heaven, embodies community, strength, and collective effort. Composed of thousands of handmade, perforated ceramic tiles intricately interwoven, the work offers a vibrant reimagining of Harriet Tubman’s shawl.
Idris Khan
Sky of Hope
(Museum | Skyroom)
Sky of Hope, an immersive, site-specific painting consisting of thousands of hand-stamped words referencing President Obama’s Selma speech - the same text that is permanently sculpted into the Museum building’s exterior. These words will radiate from the apex of the ceiling to create a contemplative environment that invites reflection on democracy and the power of public voice.
Jenny Holzer
Freedom Riders
(Museum | Skyroom Vista)
Jenny Holzer is best known for her text-based public art projects. Exploring how language is used both as poetry and as a means of concealment, Holzer has employed a variety of media throughout her career. Holzer attended the University of Chicago, received her BFA from Ohio University in 1972, and her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1977. She currently lives and works between Brooklyn, NY, and Hoosick Falls, NY.
Kiki Smith
Receive
(Museum | Hope & Change Lobby)
Receive is the largest of the artist's bronze sculptures with moon and stars. It celebrates our shared connection to the cosmos, offering hope, orientation, and solace at the heart of the museum.
Jules Julien
All Together
(Museum Level 5 | Imagine Your Impact)
Julien’s digital mural on Level 5 of the Museum exhibits eleven thematic illustrations composed of thousands of dots, each symbolizing the journey from individual to collective action and the ripple effect of democratic participation.
Aliza Nisenbaum
Reading Circles/Weaving Dreams/Seeding Futures
(Library | Main Reading Room)
A sweeping mural, Reading Circles/ Weaving Dreams/ Seeding Futures depicts moments of civic life within a public library, offering a living portrait of community in action. Centered on the library as a place of dreaming, storytelling, and shared histories, the work underscores its role as a vital gathering space.
Jack Pierson
HOPE
(Museum | Entry Pavilion)
A word sculpture spelling HOPE from found letters, referencing Pierson’s iconic use of nostalgic Americana and echoing President Obama’s defining campaign message.
Alison Saar
Torch Song
(Grounds | Women’s Garden)
A towering cast bronze figure inspired by the Statue of Liberty, Torch Song embodies the soul of Chicago’s blues heritage. Raising a gilded flame skyward in song, she becomes a beacon of resistance and truth, igniting viewers to challenge the status quo and expose injustices.
Theaster Gates
To See What They Could See
American Vista
(Forum | Hadiya Pendleton Atrium)
Located in the Forum Building’s public atrium—named for Hadiya Pendleton, the 15-year-old Chicago student who marched in President Obama’s second inauguration parade and was tragically killed a week later due to gun violence—the space stands as a symbol of community, strength, and civic action. Gates’s installation reflects on the power of collective resilience and honors the everyday individuals whose lives and practices sustain and enshrine movements for justice and change.
Spencer Finch
Memory Landscape (Nairobi, Chicago, Honolulu, Jakarta)
(Forum | Lower Lobby)
Finch’s Memory Landscape (Nairobi, Chicago, Honolulu, Jakarta) is a tile wall mural installation inspired by memories of places from President Obama's formative years. The colors for each location, including Honolulu, Jakarta, Chicago, and Nairobi, were selected personally by President Obama.
Mark Bradford
City of the Big Shoulders
(Museum | Our Story Atrium)
Bradford’s City of the Big Shoulders is a monumental wall installation enveloping the 3-story west wall of the Our Story Atrium in the Museum mapping Chicago through an embrace of fragmentation and perspective, collapsing landscape into memory and compressing history into a story of pressure, power, survival, and hope.
Tyanna J. Buie
Be the Change!
(Forum | Democracy in Action Lounge)
Tyanna J. Buie’s piece is a large-scale installation in the Forum Building, featuring screen-printed imagery and hand-applied ink inspired by materials from President Obama’s election. The Chicago native’s work is centered on hope, change, and the power of civic participation. Buie’s commission was inspired by her personal experience as a young adult participating in Chicago’s annual Bud Billiken Parade, where she stood alongside a group of “Obama for Senate” supporters.
Jay Heikes
Quintessence
(Courtyard 1)
Heikes’ Quintessence is a constellation of seven-pointed bronze stars installed along one of the exterior courtyard walls. The installation reflects the complexity of American identity and invites contemplative engagement as sunlight moves across their textured surfaces.
Carrie Mae Weems
The Cool Blue Wind
(Museum | Sky Room Vista)
The Cool Blue Wind is a photographic collage printed on silver and gold metallic paper with blue tonal overlays accompanied by original music. The images reference Obama’s historic win and the freedom found in the organized improvisational nature of jazz. The associated soundtrack, which will be accessible to the public, centers jazz, collective memory, and democratic participation.
Sam Kirk and Dorian Sylvain
Pass It Forward
(Home Court | Main Court)
Pass It Forward, a collaborative mural in Home Court, the Center's athletic facility, celebrates the cultural legacies of Chicago's South Side, blending vibrant narrative imagery and community history to honor the neighborhoods that shaped the Obama family. The mural embodies the spirit of our connection to the past while reimagining our future through the eyes of the next generation. Bold color and cultural symbolism celebrate teamwork, trust, and shared responsibility. It is a reminder that every action we take has the power to push us ahead.
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