Chicago’s South Side will soon see a major infusion of public art as the Obama Presidential Center unveils plans for ten new commissions across its 19-acre campus, opening in 2026. The lineup brings together some of today’s most compelling voices—Nick Cave, Nekisha Durrett, Jenny Holzer, Jules Julien, Idris Khan, Aliza Nisenbaum, Jack Pierson, Alison Saar, Kiki Smith, and Marie Watt.
Each artist is creating a site-specific work that speaks to history, resilience, and community. Cave and Watt are collaborating on This Land, Shared Sky, a monumental textile. Durrett’s Hem of Heaven honors Harriet Tubman in ceramic. Holzer’s memorial to the Freedom Riders will use the group’s own FBI files as source material, turning once-suppressed documents into a public act of remembrance.
For the Obamas, art has always been central to civic life. As Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation, noted, the commissions are meant to ensure that “every visitor feels inspired, respected, and connected.” Dr. Louise Bernard, director of the Center’s museum, echoed that vision, describing the artworks as a meditation on civic life. For her, the commissions extend beyond aesthetics—they weave memory, identity, and resilience into the very structure of the campus, making the Center not just a place of history, but a living space of dialogue and connection.
For Chicago—and for public art—the announcement signals something rare: a civic space built with artists at its core. Rather than treating art as an afterthought, the Obama Presidential Center is embedding it into the daily rhythm of the campus, from plazas and walkways to gardens and gathering spaces. Visitors won’t encounter art as a separate destination, but as part of how they move through and experience the site. It’s a vision that honors the city’s own legacy of public art—from the towering presence of Picasso and Calder downtown to contemporary landmarks by Richard Hunt and Anish Kapoor—and extends it into a new generation. With these commissions, the Center is positioning itself not just as a library or museum, but as a cultural anchor where art, history, and civic life converge.
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