Obama Presidential Center Museum

Scheduled to open in 2026, the Obama Presidential Center will be a world-class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady and serves as a resource for collective civic engagement on the South Side of Chicago. The Center will not only honor past achievements through effective story-telling, but it will also extend its mission to become a place of story-making.

The museum design team is being led by Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA), whose recent work includes the acclaimed National Museum of African American History and Culture. Civic Projects is collaborating with RAA and leading a handful of carefully selected Chicago-based firms and individuals. These partners include: design Normal Studio, and artists and educators Amanda Williams, Andres L. Hernandez and Norman Teague. Almost half of the exhibition design work for the OPC will be performed by minority- and woman-owned businesses, of which Civic Projects is both.

Workshops

The museum design team has hosted a series of workshops focused on the development of the Obama Presidential Center Museum. Our goal is to get feedback and insights from participants that help validate and improve our assumptions for the design process. Participants learn about how museums engage visitors and inspire them to create change in their own communities through storytelling and interactive exhibit design.

Exhibition Design

Inside the museum, exhibits will explore the fullness of the American story—from the promise of America’s founding documents to the social movements that challenged us to live up to them. Visitors will learn about the volunteers who worked on the historic campaign and explore the eight years of progress, setback, and hope that followed. The Center will be a place to reflect and grow, connect and create; to tap into your own sense of purpose and discover the change you want to make in the world.