Obama Foundation

There is something powerful about watching someone walk through an idea they once could only imagine. As President Obama toured the museum exhibits with Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett, the conversations kept coming back to one thing: this space was never meant to tell just one story. From interactive exhibits to moments designed for reflection and response, the Obama Presidential Center invites visitors to see themselves in the experience too.

We are so excited to be dedicating the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago with a dynamic celebration June 18, with performances by global icons and engaging storytelling about the Foundation’s work to inspire, empower and connect people to make change in their own communities. The Ceremony will livestream globally June 18, and here in Chicago, you can be part of the Official Watch Party at the Midway Plaisance near the Center. This is the moment the Obamas’ legacy of hope and action finds a vibrant home right here on the South Side. 💻Livestream from anywhere: Join from the comfort of home, or host your own viewing party. It’s a front-row seat to history, no matter where you are at Obama.org. 🎉Be part of the moment: Join us for the Official Watch Party with a picnic-style vibe, exclusive merch, and the star-studded ceremony on the big screen. Link in bio to request a ticket. ✅Share this post to make sure your friends know! History isn't just something we read about—it’s something we build together. The Grand Opening Ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center is made possible through the generous support of GCM Grosvenor, Abbott, BMO, ITW and Northern Trust.

Proud of our Obama Foundation Scholars and the incredible work they’re doing in their communities. https://lnkd.in/egBBXuAf

Democracy is strongest when everyone can see themselves reflected in it. In 2017, President Obama appointed Shawn Skelly to the National Commission on Military, National, and Public Service – making her one of the highest-profile openly transgender presidential appointees in U.S. history. Skelly's story is a reminder that democracy moves forward when more people are seen, heard, and empowered to serve. Because everyone deserves to know they belong at the heart of democracy, today we mark International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia.

What is something you refuse to give up on?

The Obama Foundation has announced the naming of the Hope and Change Lobby of the Museum at the Obama Presidential Center, honoring the foundational ideas of President Obama’s 2008 campaign.  The Hope and Change Lobby, which is free and open to guests, is made possible through the generous contribution by the Hutchins Family Foundation, founded by Obama Foundation Board Vice-Chair Glenn Hutchins and his wife, Debbie Hutchins. “When visitors enter the Hope and Change Lobby, we hope they will feel what we did during President Obama’s historic 2008 campaign — that change is not only possible but achievable,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO at The Obama Foundation.  Located at the Museum’s sunlit, unticketed entrance, the Hope and Change Lobby is a three-story space connected by a sculptural bronze staircase, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and is a singular place on campus to view a number of major arts installations - along with a soon-to-be unveiled piece by Njideka Akunyili Crosby!  The art includes:  This Land, Shared Sky, a multimedia textile installation between artists Nick Cave and Marie Watt. This work unites Indigenous and Black traditions through beaded nets and sculptural jingle elements. Watt has spent more than two decades creating works that bridge Indigenous history, culture, community, and memory. Kiki Smith’s Receive, the largest of the artist's bronze sculptures with moon and stars. In keeping with Smith’s previous work, Receive celebrates our shared connection to the cosmos, offering hope, orientation, and solace in the heart of the museum.  Mark Bradford’s 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. Jay Heikes’s 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.

Here’s President Obama’s priceless reaction to the almost finished Obama Presidential Center Museum. President Obama and Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett toured the Presidential Center Museum, as we prepare to open to the public June 19. They spent time appreciating the details, noticing the special touches and imagining all the ways visitors from around the world and across the city will make this place their own.

What does it really mean to say “Bring Change Home?” As we move closer to opening our doors, President Obama reminds us that the Obama Presidential Center wasn't built to celebrate one person’s legacy—it was built to unlock the power within you. Come visit and get inspired to take action. #BringChangeHome. Get your tickets: https://lnkd.in/gvBmKJNM

The Obama Foundation today announced the Nancy Pelosi Garden Pavilion at the Obama Presidential Center, celebrating Pelosi as one of the many icons, leaders, activists and changemakers who will be honored in named spaces at the Obama Presidential Center thanks to generous gifts from benefactors. The Nancy Pelosi Garden Pavilion is made possible through a generous donation by philanthropist and business leader Ron Conway. This naming of the pavilion for Pelosi, the first woman who served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, reflects the Foundation’s commitment to building a campus that honors the significant contributions of the visionary and courageous individuals “on whose shoulders we stand.” The Garden Pavilion will anchor the eastern border of The Eleanor Roosevelt Fruit & Vegetable Garden at the Center's campus. The structure will include a classroom, a workroom, and public restrooms.

Nobody wanted to leave. It was May 12, 2009, and the East Room of the White House had just hosted something it had never seen before — a poetry jam. Slam poets and jazz singers, novelists and pianists, all sharing one of America's most storied stages. Then a young playwright named Lin-Manuel Miranda stepped up. He told the room he had something new. Something he was just beginning to work out. It was about Alexander Hamilton. The crowd was politely skeptical. The President and First Lady wished him luck. It later became the Broadway hit "Hamilton." That night became the template for everything the Obamas believed the White House could be — diverse, alive, and of the moment. A house that belonged to all of America. Tina Tchen, now Executive Vice President of Programs at The Obama Foundation, who helped organize the evening, held onto the program from that night. It sat in a desk drawer, then a basement box, for over a decade. This June, it goes on display at the Obama Presidential Center Museum in Chicago — a small piece of paper that holds an enormous moment. "The arts are a really essential part of our democracy," Tchen said. "It's how we express ourselves." "The People's House" exhibit opens at the Obama Presidential Center Museum June 19.