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\n\tThe Obama Foundation has tapped a local talent with its latest commission for its highly anticipated Obama Presidential Center (OPC), set to open on Chicago\u2019s South Side in 2026. Artist Theaster Gates will create an expansive frieze drawing drawing from the Johnson Publishing Company image archive and the Howard Simmon and photographic collections.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tThe new installation will occupy the Pendleton Atrium at the forthcoming OPC and celebrate the visual archives of the Chicago legacy magazines Ebony<\/em> and Jet<\/em>, both longtime sources of inspiration in Gates\u2019s artistic practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI am deeply honored to be commissioned to create a new artwork for the Obama Presidential Center, a beacon of democracy, just a couple of blocks from where my non-profit, Rebuild Foundation has invested in land and cultural assets as tools for creative self-determination for over two decades,\u201d Gates said in a statement, referring to the organization he founded on Chicago\u2019s South Side in 2009. <\/p>\n \n\tRebuild Foundation has led a broader cultural revitalization of the city\u2019s predominantly Black neighborhoods, restoring historic buildings and establishing institutions such as the Stony Island Arts Bank, which functions as both the foundation\u2019s headquarters and an exhibition and events space, as well as an occasional food repository. Through this work, Rebuild has created opportunities to engage with Chicago\u2019s artistic legacies, including Johnson Publishing Company (publisher of Ebony<\/em> and Jet) <\/em>and the photography of Chicago-based artist Howard Simmons.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cMy hope is to ground the power of these visual histories in a new context, reminding us of the collective resolve that shapes our communities,\u201d Gates said, adding that, \u201cAt a time when artists are increasingly playing a critical role in protecting memory and in contributing to the democratic ideals that continue to shape who we are and what we strive to become, it is deeply meaningful to contribute to this historic space.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn a statement, Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett said, \u201cI\u2019ve known Theaster since his days as the first transit arts planner for the Chicago Transit Authority 25 years ago, and he is the ideal artist for this marquee space. His boundless creativity, commitment to public art, passion for educating and sharing art with others, and gift for translating history into the present make him a singular talent. People from around the world will be awestruck by his work\u2014but just as importantly, those of us from the South Side will see our community continue to be elevated to the world-class status it has always deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n