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Who’s Down With O.P.C.?

The Obama Presidential Center won’t open until June, but its curator, Virginia Shore, has been commissioning art for more than seven years in preparation for the big day. Here she explains the ethos and ambition of the center’s unprecedented collection.

Virginia Shore
"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," says O.P.C. curator Virginia Shore. Photo: Kate Warren/Courtesy of OPC
Dan Duray
February 22, 2026

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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.