Site-specific artwork on the Obama Presidential Center campus
The Obama Foundation has named the final group of commissioned artists for the Obama Presidential Center campus, set to open June 19, 2026, in Chicago. Artists in this group include Njideka Akunyili Crosby, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jeffrey Gibson, Rashid Johnson, Hugo McCloud, Martin Puryear, Lorna Simpson and Norman Teague, with their works joining the other artists already announced for the project. Each of them makes a work of art or sculpture for the site, allowing visitors to view them as exhibitions while moving inside the building.
Artists contribute their own works for the Obama Presidential Center campus, starting with Njideka Akunyili Crosby creating a portrait of Barack Obama and Michelle Obama using images from family albums, history and public life. Her portrait shows connections between the Obamas and other people, including artists, leaders and citizens, and her work is placed in the main lobby. There is María Magdalena Campos-Pons, who presents an installation based on the White House garden, a work that includes plants, food and flowers as it relates to food, land and memory. It also links to Michelle Obama’s work on healthy eating, while showing how a garden can hold history and everyday life.
Exhibition aProject a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica by Norman Teagues | Image courtesy of Norman Teague
Presentation of the life of the Obamas through art
Artist Jeffrey Gibson creates a wall project with 17 round prints, which refer to drums and badges used in social and political groups as an attempt to combine sound, messages and group action. It also shows how people come together and share ideas, similar to Rashid Johnson’s mosaic called Broken Men, where he uses human figures to show different states of feeling and thinking. The project asks people to think about the common human experience, which will soon be installed in the Teaching Kitchen on the Obama Presidential Center campus venue.
Hugo McCloud creates a painting that maps parts of Barack Obama’s life through layers of plastic and paint, illustrating how place and memory are connected. With Martin Puryear, he presents a large sculpture in the square, the form emerging from a long bending beam. The work references a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. and the work of John Lewis, a hint that this change needs action by the people. Lorna Simpson shows a work from her Ice series, a piece featuring images of ice and sky, printed and painted on hard surface. It connects space, time and nature and connects the interior of the Obama Presidential Center campus with the exterior landscape.
the exhibition brings together around 350 objects, spanning from the 1920s to the present day | Image courtesy of Norman Teague
Artwork connected to the community and city of Chicago
There is also Norman Teague, who creates eight wooden benches placed in the museum, made for sitting and resting. In all of these works, the theme of memory appears as the works use images, objects or places from the past, allowing history to remain present in everyday life. The works also connect to Chicago, the White House and other locations from the Obamas’ lives, resulting in a sense of community as these art and design works bring people together through benches, portraits and public space. The Obama Presidential Center campus brings these works together, creating a space where people can delve into the rich history of the family and the city.
Lorna Simpson, Tried by Fire (detail), 2017, courtesy of the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Installation view, Lorna Simpson. Third Person, 2026, Punta della Dogana, Venice. Ph. James Wang © Palazzo Grassi, Pinault Collection
Big Bling, 2016, Martin Puryear | image courtesy of Matthew Marks Gallery
The secrets of the Magnolia tree. Bernice, 2022, María Magdalena Campos-Pons | Image courtesy of Gallery Wendi Norris
Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Roundabout, 2025, © Njideka Akunyili Crosby, courtesy of the artist, Victoria Miro and David Zwirner | photo by Marten Elder
view of the Obama Presidential Center outside | image courtesy of the Obama Foundation
project information:
artists: Njideka Akunyili Crosby, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Jeffrey Gibson, Rashid Johnson, Hugo McCloud, Martin Puryear, Lorna Simpson, Norman Teague
center: Obama Presidential Center | @obamafoundation
