Artist Theaster Gates Will Create a Monumental Ode to Black Beauty at The Obama Presidential Center

December 19, 2025

The Obama Presidential Center, opening this spring on Chicago's South Side, will feature major artworks by prominent contemporary American artists across its nearly 20-acre campus. Artist Theaster Gates is creating a monumental two-part frieze using historic photographs from Ebony and Jet magazine archives, celebrating Black life and particularly honoring Black women. The center has commissioned works from multiple acclaimed artists including Nick Cave, Julie Mehretu, Jenny Holzer, and others, who will create installations throughout various spaces that explore themes of American history, civil rights, and cultural identity.

Who is affected

Visitors to the Obama Presidential Center
Chicago's South Side community
Artist Theaster Gates and other commissioned artists (Nick Cave, Julie Mehretu, Jenny Holzer, Kiki Smith, Marie Watt, Nekisha Durrett, and Aliza Nisenbaum)
Black Americans whose history and culture are represented in the artworks
Artists of color and arts institutions facing challenges during the second Trump administration
The Obama Presidential Center staff, including curator Virginia Shore and museum director Louise Bernard

What action is being taken

The Obama Presidential Center is opening in spring with multiple art installations
Theaster Gates is creating a two-part frieze using photographs from the Johnson Publishing Company archives and Howard Simmons' work
Multiple artists are creating commissioned works throughout the center's various spaces
Gates' dual exhibitions are currently on view at the Smart Museum of Art (until February) and Gray Chicago gallery
Gates continues serving as caretaker of various cultural archives including the Johnson Publishing Company collection

Why it matters

This matters because the Obama Presidential Center is positioning itself as a unique presidential institution that uses art to engage the public in conversations about democracy, history, and social change. The commissions celebrate diverse American artists and preserve important cultural narratives about Black American life and civil rights history during a turbulent period for arts funding and support for artists of color. The center serves as a reminder of historical contributions by Black and brown Americans at a time when, according to Gates, falsehoods about history are being generated. By making these artworks publicly accessible and integrating them into a civic and cultural complex, the center aims to inspire visitors to become changemakers and understand that democratic progress is an ongoing, nonlinear process.

What's next

The Obama Presidential Center will open in spring
Gates' exhibition at the Smart Museum of Art will continue until February
The center will begin hosting public events in the Forum Building's atrium (where Gates' frieze is located)
The center expects to receive visitors who will engage with the commissioned artworks across the campus

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint