Obama museum showcases political and personal side of former president

CHICAGO — Former President Barack Obama’s influence on his presidential museum was profound, from its location on Chicago’s South Side to the textured stone that adorns its interior. drama tower to a striped reading chair similar to one in his own home.

this Obama Presidential Center After a dedication ceremony with dignitaries in Chicago, the church will open to the public on June 11. But as crews complete the final art installations and landscaping, tens of thousands of people — friends and family of museum staff, students and journalists — can already get a glimpse of the nearly 20-acre campus.

The roughly $850 million project spans the political and personal life of America’s first black president. Campaign memorabilia and presidential artifacts are displayed in the entrance museum tower, while public spaces on the vast campus showcase other things important to Obama: a new library, a basketball court and a picnic area with grills.

“This is a safe space where people can come and reflect on the historic moments of this presidency and campaign, but also come together as a community to think about what changes they can make in their own communities,” Josh Harris, the Obama Foundation’s vice president of public engagement, told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

Below is a detailed look at the campus’s major attractions, which are expected to attract up to 1 million visitors annually.

The Obama Presidential Museum will be the first fully digital museum of its kind, eliminating the need to display extensive official documents.

Instead, visitors will experience high-tech and hands-on exhibits covering Obama’s campaign, key moments of his presidency and life in the White House.

One of the biggest attractions is a life-size replica of the Oval Office.

On a recent day, a large group of visitors, including schoolchildren, walked through the circular room, stopping to sit behind tables and pose for photos. The top drawer holds a handwritten letter from former President George W. Bush and Obama’s beloved BlackBerry.

“We want to make sure that people from all walks of life have the opportunity to sit behind a desk at Resolute,” Harris said. “You think about it, if a young organizer from the South Side of Chicago can be president, you can be president.

Other sections of the museum detail the Affordable Care Act, immigration policy and smaller moments, such as Obama unexpectedly singing during a 2015 eulogy for the victims of the South Carolina church shooting. A clip of Obama singing was played on a large TV screen “amazing Grace.”

Museum organizers say areas for personal reflection are key.

“We are passing the baton and inviting people to take home change, but change may be defined in terms of big or small,” said museum director Louise Bernard.

When Obama touts the museum’s collection when it breaks ground in 2021, he predicts it will be one of its biggest draws.

“We want this center to be more than just a static museum or source of archival research,” Obama joked at the event. “It’s not just a collection of campaign memorabilia or Michelle’s prom dress, although I know everyone will be coming to see that.”

Behind the glass were about a dozen costumes on mannequins, including black and red dress Designed by Narciso Rodriguez and worn by the former First Lady on election night in Chicago in 2008.

Visitors also had the opportunity to touch fabric samples, including the rose gold chainmail Atelier Versace evening gown she wore to her last state dinner in 2016.

The museum is located near where Barack Obama began his political career, taught law at the University of Chicago and where his family lives. Michelle Obama also grew up on the South Side.

Obama, a lifelong basketball fan, sought a glass-paneled, professional-grade basketball court for community projects.

The former first lady designed a garden where lettuce and strawberry plants sprouted on a recent day. There will also be charcoal grills available for public use, something Obama has envisioned since he first proposed the plan at a community meeting nearly a decade ago.

“President Obama always talks about how he felt in Chicago, and one of his memorable moments was having a barbecue in the park,” Harris said.

The Obamas’ design taste and love of history are also evident.

There are dozens of commissioned works of art on the museum grounds, and different parts of the grounds are named after prominent figures. The central “John Lewis Square” is named after late congressman and civil rights leaderdesigned as a public gathering place.

In the new branch of the Chicago Public Library, a 70-foot mural depicts literary figures such as Walt Whitman and James Baldwin. In the center is a boy in an orange shirt, to whom Toni Morrison is reading. He represents the young Obama.

Its presidential reading room houses thousands of books selected by the Obamas, from presidential biographies to best-selling novels. One of Obama’s favorite pieces are two high-backed chairs with blue, yellow and black stripes. They were chosen by the former president as a top reading chair similar to the one in his home.

Tickets cost $30, which is the highest ticket price among U.S. presidential museums or libraries. Next up is the Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in California, where tickets are $29.

Obama foundation leaders say the price is reasonable for a state-of-the-art facility.

Admission to the adjacent Griffin Museum of Science and Industry is $25.95. In southern Illinois, admission to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield is $15.

In addition to free days and discounts for Illinois residents, Obama Foundation officials believe that most of the campus will be free, with only four floors of the museum tower requiring admission.

Anyone can walk around campus, use the playground, library, sledding hill or barbecue area. The top floor of the tower is also free and offers panoramic views of the third largest city in the United States.

“The idea behind this institution, this campus is to make it accessible to as many people as possible,” Harris said.

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