This summer, the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, on the South Side of Chicago, promises to obliterate previous expectations for a presidential library. In the nine years since he left office, Barack Obama has positioned himself more as a cultural influencer than a politician—seemingly wielding greater power over Spotify mixes and March Madness brackets than electoral outcomes. His library will reflect a life beyond politics, boasting commissions by more than 25 artists—among them Maya Lin, Julie Mehretu, Nick Cave, Jenny Holzer, Spencer Finch, Lindsay Adams, Jack Pierson, Kiki Smith, and Theaster Gates.

It takes a village of art pros to land such commissions for a project this large, including an established art advisor. That’s where Virginia Shore comes in. For the past seven years, Shore has been consulting and curating for the O.P.C., upon the recommendation of Thelma Golden, an Obama Foundation board member and the director of the Studio Museum in Harlem. Between 2000 and 2018, Shore was chief curator at the State Department, commissioning 79 works for U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide. (The program, as Puck’s Julia Ioffe wrote recently, is now under quite different management.) I caught up with Shore to hear more about what to expect from the center when it opens in June. As always, this interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Dan Duray: What’s the general ethos for the art of the Obama Presidential Center?

Virginia Shore: This represents a complete reimagining of historic and existing presidential centers. It will be a vibrant, inclusive space for all, and a destination that fosters hope. The center brings to life a core belief of the Obamas: that ordinary people, working together, can do extraordinary things. In fact, the museum’s design draws on the image of four hands coming together. Ultimately, our goal is to promote connection, cross-cultural dialogue, diversity, and exchange.

Why bother having art at a presidential library at all?

Several of the U.S. presidential libraries include art, but most often showcasing gifts of art and artifacts received during the president’s tenure. What will differentiate the O.P.C. is that it will include commissioned, site-specific work by contemporary artists who share a commitment to art as a civic and ethical practice. O.P.C. is the first presidential center that foregrounds community as an integral part of its mission. This is reflected in every aspect of its 19-acre footprint, which includes a playground, basketball court, auditorium, restaurant and cafe, sledding hill, wooded areas, and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library.

What qualities do you seek in an artist to make them eligible for a commission? What connects them all?

The underlying connector here is that all of the commissioned artists are civically engaged at their core. The O.P.C. artists utilize the aesthetic experience as a conduit for social transformation, creating works that function as vital responses to contemporary global conditions. Carrie Mae Weems, for example, layers photography with jazz soundscapes, centering Black stories and resilience against erasure. Witnessing Nick Cave and Marie Watt collaborate to create Land, Sky, a multimedia sculpture that binds personal histories to shared futures, has been another great example of this ethos. Same with Tyanna Buie, whose work Be the Change! reflects her youth’s civic engagement through bold, hopeful visuals.

Were there guiding principles or some sort of written guide to what kind of art and artists should be chosen?

There were no rigid guidelines; the Obamas set the tone by championing commissions that reflect the focus of the center—to inspire and remind us all that we can be changemakers. The goal is not to illustrate a singular story of the Obama presidency, but to create an environment where multiple histories, cultural traditions, and ways of knowing coexist. The resulting commissions reflect a commitment to artistic rigor in addition to emphasizing public engagement and collective empowerment. We prioritized fearless creativity.

How involved are the Obamas in this process?

Very involved. Ultimately, every commissioned artist was considered and confirmed by President Obama. I proposed artists, spaces, and concepts grounded in existing examples of each artist’s work, supported by renderings, biographies, and relevant articles that demonstrated how their practice could be translated into a site-specific commission. The proposals also considered how each commission would exist in dialogue with others across the center, always prioritizing the artist’s voice and its alignment with the Obamas’ values and the broader objectives of the center. Four of the commissioned artists were preordained even if their concepts and placement were not.

Have the Obamas visited any artist studios?

Yes. They have an incredible curiosity about artists and how they work. They love seeing where ideas take shape, whether that’s in formal museum settings or behind the scenes in creative spaces. The artists worked with us, and we worked with them. Every commission was a collaboration.

Your latest release says O.P.C. will feature more than 25 artists, more than the original 20. Has the library expanded as you’ve begun to work on it?

The art program expanded, and I’ll never forget the meeting when it truly took shape. Several of the O.P.C. teams and the museum director were gathered around a table with Mrs. Obama when she spoke about her vision for the center as a living, breathing, cultural and educational hub for kids, students, families, and the community. There was this palpable energy in the room as she described bringing in not only visual artists, but also educators, performers, chefs, musicians, conservators, and everyone who contributes to cultural life. She spoke about kids from the South Side coming to the center and discovering not just art on the walls, but the people behind it: artist-educators, curators, conservators, guards, even stage technicians.

It was one of those moments when the purpose of the project expanded before our eyes. Her insistence on accessibility and inclusion redefined what the Obama Presidential Center’s arts program would be: a showcase for art, but also a launchpad for the next generation of creators and a catalyst for imagination. It’s a professional pinnacle that also feels personal; it’s about embedding hope and dialogue into every corner of this campus, making culture a democratic force that says to Chicago and the world: “You are seen, you are valued, and this is your space.”

The Art section on the library’s website begins: “From the White House to the Obama Presidential Center, President and Mrs. Obama have used the arts as a tool to inspire, empower, and connect people from around the world.” How did they do this in the White House?

They took the White House art collection to a whole new level under their administration. They worked closely with the Committee for the Preservation of the White House and the White House Historical Association, as well as their interior designer, Michael Smith, to add diversity and bring in more 20th and 21st century art. They used the White House as a cultural platform, inviting artists, musicians, writers, and performers to participate in public programs. These initiatives emphasized access, cultural diversity, and the arts as a means of civic connection, particularly by elevating voices and histories that had not always been centered in that space. A few of the artists included in the White House during their presidency were Alma Thomas, Anni Albers, Kerry James Marshall, Glenn Ligon, Jacob Lawrence, Lucy Lewis, Maria Poveka Martinez, Susan Rothenberg, Robert Rauschenberg, and Mark Rothko.

Barack and Michelle Obama famously had their official portraits done by Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, respectively, which made both artists household names overnight. Do you have galleries pitching you on artists for the fame that might emerge from such an association?

As people began to learn more about our commissioned arts program, there has been tremendous enthusiasm about proactively and organically engaging in our offerings. We expect to continue these conversations after we open.

Have any of the artists you’ve approached said no?

No.

The library is set to open this June. Is all the art done? Are you sweating anything?

Several of the commissions are complete, and the remaining are in process. All will be installed before opening! The installations began in November of 2025 and will roll through April of this year. We cannot wait to welcome the public.

Thank you, Dan. That was interesting. Looking forward to seeing some or many of you this week in Los Angeles. The rest of you will hear from me again on Tuesday.

Until then,
M