Obama Presidential Center: A Look Inside

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago is set to open this month on the South Side. While it showcases the Obama presidency, it is not a traditional presidential library. The Center functions as a campus offering basketball courts, gardens, ball fields, a children’s playground, a Chicago public library branch, and an eight-story museum.

As visitors enter the museum, they encounter the word “hope,” embodying the themes from Obama’s 2008 campaign. Various art installations are present throughout the museum. Notable works include Mark Bradford’s “City of the Big Shoulders,” a vibrant multicolored installation extending from the mezzanine to the first floor, and Nick Cave’s “This Land, Shared Sky” presented in collaboration with Marie Watt.

Julie Mehretu’s layered glass art can be seen while riding the escalators between floors. These installations emphasize themes of hope and change, central to Obama’s legacy.

The museum houses several exhibits that chart the history of the United States, starting with the Declaration of Independence. Visitors learn about pivotal movements, including suffrage, slavery, Reconstruction, and the Civil Rights Movement. These exhibits illustrate how ordinary people drove significant change leading up to Obama’s presidency.

“It begins with the history of our country, the Declaration of Independence, the suffrage movement, slavery, Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement, all of the different ways in which ordinary people brought about the change that led to his presidency,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation.

Details of Obama’s consequential first presidential campaign are explored on another floor, with a collection of campaign signs and buttons representing the primary election. A documentary-style video emphasizes the emotions of the nation electing its first Black president. The museum also highlights Obama’s victory over John McCain in 2008.

The museum’s second level focuses on social movements that inspired the Obamas’ political rise. Personal items from Obama’s early life and presidency are displayed, including his Nobel Peace Prize and a childhood art project. A replica of the Oval Office, as it was during Obama’s tenure, and elements of Michelle Obama’s wardrobe, ranging from couture gowns to a simple Target dress, feature on level four.

One notable item absent from the collection is Obama’s tan suit, a subject of controversy in 2014. According to Jarrett, Obama gave the suit away, leaving only photographs to commemorate the moment.

The Center includes a timeline of Obama’s achievements in office, such as the raid that killed Osama bin Laden and the Affordable Care Act’s passage. Some accomplishments like the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate agreement were later reversed under President Trump.

In the Sky Room, visitors can gaze at Chicago’s South and West neighborhoods. A bronze sculpture of President and Mrs. Obama greets guests at the plaza entrance, providing a welcoming atmosphere as they explore the Center’s offerings. A new branch of the Chicago Public Library stands near the entrance, enhancing public engagement in this historic area.