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The Visionary Obama Presidential Center
In 2021, the ambitious Obama Presidential Center (OPC) in Chicago, designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, broke ground. The main building, an angular granite-clad tower that will house the museum, has recently started to take form and is being prepared for its most striking art commission—a monumental painted glass window by artist Julie Mehretu.
On September 7th, specialists began installing the 35 panels that make up "Uprising of the Sun" (2024), a towering 83-foot-tall by 25-foot-wide abstract work, on the north facade of the building.
The OPC's design and layout reflect a level of thoughtfulness in naming spaces and buildings. For instance, a public plaza will be named after John Lewis, a civil rights hero and former congressman admired by former President Barack Obama. Mehretu was moved by the Center’s attention to history and future aspirations. “I wanted to honour Chicago’s history and President Obama’s legacy by telling a story about how change happens,” Mehretu states.
Mehretu's window is largely influenced by the Civil Rights movement and complements another architectural feature—a passage from Obama's 2015 speech in Selma, Alabama. This speech, delivered on the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery march for voting rights, saw marchers, including a young John Lewis, brutally attacked by police.
Known for her large-scale poetic abstractions, Mehretu wanted a cohesive concept for the piece. Working with glass on a daunting scale, she collaborated with the Franz Mayer Studio in Munich for fabrication.
Mehretu began with an image of Obama and Lewis crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Other inspirations include the 19th-century landscape painter Robert S. Duncanson’s "Land of the Lotus Eaters" (1861). Mehretu merged and altered these works using digital mapping and design tools, incorporating Jacob Lawrence's "Confrontation on the Bridge" (1975) and his "The Migration Series" (1940-41), depicting the Great Migration.
The modernist Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, with its giant stained-glass window by Ethiopian artist Afewerk Tekle, also deeply inspired Mehretu. Born in Ethiopia and raised in the Midwest, Mehretu grew up near cultural hubs like the Art Institute of Chicago and the Detroit Institute of Arts, institutions which shaped her artistic journey.
The layers, shapes, and colors in "Uprising of the Sun" are rich with historical significance. Visitors will be able to gaze out at the cityscape through the window, which Mehretu notes is “informed by layers of history.” Despite the work's size, Mehretu had only seen it in quarter scale until its installation.
The verticality of "Uprising" ties into Western art's Ascension motif and the large Buddhist caves of the East. As visitors ascend adjacent escalators, the window symbolizes transformation and inspiration for future leaders. Initially untitled, Mehretu eventually drew from a 16th-century John Donne poem about the sun, aligning with her vision of light.
Art is central to the OPC, designed as a hub for community and civic engagement. Besides the museum, the 19-acre campus will include a forum, a public library branch with a Richard Hunt bronze sculpture, gardens, and places to reflect and be inspired. Maya Lin is creating a sculpture with a water feature near the entrance, and over 20 other art commissions will be announced.
Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation, emphasizes the importance of art in inspiring leadership. President Obama, familiar with Mehretu’s work, clicked with the artist instantly and allowed her the creative freedom to craft a masterpiece.
The OPC has faced controversy, with a lawsuit from a park preservationist group delaying the project. However, construction is ongoing with plans to recreate the historic Women’s Garden, add a Michael Van Valkenburgh-designed playground, and plant numerous trees and native plants.
“Hers will be an important welcoming statement that, coupled with the words of the speech in Selma, sends a positive message of what a beacon of hope the Obama Presidential Center will be,” Jarrett concludes.
