The Obama Presidential Center Advances Its Public Art Program with Next Wave of Monumental Commissions

The Obama Presidential Center Advances Its Public Art Program with Next Wave of Monumental Commissions

A new cohort of celebrated artists joins the Obama Presidential Center’s growing roster, deepening its commitment to being a global destination for free public art.

The Obama Foundation today announced five new artist commissions for the Obama Presidential Center, opening in June 2026 on Chicago’s South Side. Mark Bradford, Tyanna J. Buie, Jay Heikes, Carrie Mae Weems, and a collaboration between Sam Kirk and Dorian Sylvain will create major site-specific works that will serve as catalysts for civic dialogue, inspiration, and connection.

Together, these artists bring a profound engagement with history, memory, and collective identity that is rooted in Chicago and resonates far beyond it, further shaping the Center as a global landmark of public art and civic possibility.

“Public art has always been central to how we tell our stories and see one another,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of The Obama Foundation. “These new commissions build on President and Mrs. Obama’s belief that creativity can help us imagine a better future—one rooted in empathy, possibility, and connection.”

Highlights include:

Mark Bradford – City of the Big Shoulders, a monumental painting scaling the 3-story west wall of the Our Story Atrium in the Museum Building, 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!, a large-scale installation featuring hand-applied ink with screen-printed imagery from President Obama’s election, presented in the Forum Building. The 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, a constellation of seven-pointed bronze stars installed along one of the Museum building’s exterior courtyard walls, reflects the complexity of American identity and invites contemplative engagement as sunlight moves across their textured surfaces.

Carrie Mae Weems – The Cool Blue Wind is a photographic collage printed on silver and gold metallic paper with blue tonal overlays, accompanied by original music, presented in the Museum building. The images reference President 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 on jazz, collective memory, and democratic participation.

Sam Kirk + Dorian Sylvain – 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 connection to the past while reimagining the future through the eyes of the next generation.

These commissions join previously announced works by Lindsay Adams, Nekisha Durrett, Spencer Finch, Theaster Gates, Jenny Holzer, Richard Hunt, Jules Julien, Idris Khan, Maya Lin, Julie Mehretu, Aliza Nisenbaum, Jack Pierson, Alison Saar, Kiki Smith, and a collaboration between Nick Cave and Marie Watt.

“This new group of artists continues to expand the Center’s visual and emotional landscape,” said Dr. Louise Bernard, Founding Director of the Obama Presidential Center Museum. “Their work engages the South Side as both subject and inspiration—drawing on its histories, energies, and communities to explore what civic belonging can look like, for all of us. Through material, memory, and imagination, these commissions deepen the dialogue between art and public life that defines the Center as a global hub.”

From its inception, the Obama Presidential Center envisioned the arts as a core part of its mission. This commitment builds upon the legacy that President and Mrs. Obama instilled at the White House, making it the “People’s House” by opening its doors to diverse voices, disciplines, and perspectives. The commissioned art collection at the Center will carry this ethos forward, amplifying its impact through vibrant public arts programming that brings the collection to life in dynamic and accessible ways. Through performances, workshops, talks, and partnerships, this programming will engage the public, inspire creativity, and spark meaningful dialogue—ensuring that the collection remains at the heart of the visitor experience and a catalyst for community connection.

The artist commissions are curated by Virginia Shore, Curator of the Obama Presidential Center Art Commissions at Shore Art Advisory LLC.







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