Edited by Azizi Powell
Latest revision - June 20, 2026
This pancocojams post presents some information about and seven YouTube videos of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2026/06/youtube-videos-of-obama-presidential.html for the closely related pancocojams post entitled "YouTube Videos Of The Obama Presidential Center's Dedication Ceremony And Watch Party".
The content of this post is presented for historical, cultural, and inspirational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama for their political and cultural legacies. Thanks to all those who filmed and published these showcase videos. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this pancocojams post.
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Also, click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2022/06/the-red-white-and-blue-juneteenth.html for a related 2022 pancocojams post entitled "The Red, White, And Blue Juneteenth Holiday Flag (video, article excerpts, & comments)".
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER
Excerpt from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_Presidential_Center
"The Barack Obama Presidential Center is a museum, library,
and education project in Chicago to commemorate the presidency of Barack Obama,
the 44th president of the United States.[4][5] The center includes a museum,
community and conference facilities and houses the nonprofit Obama
Foundation.[6] Also included within the Center is a branch of the Chicago
Public Library,[7] and a community athletic facility, within a broad expanse of
landscaped public park, gardens, and playground.[8] A dedication ceremony was
held on June 18, 2026, before opening to the public the next day, on June 19th,
Juneteenth.[9]
The center's work includes digitizing the Barack Obama Presidential Library with the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), to create the first fully digitized presidential library.[4] Though NARA, which administers the library, will loan many documents and artifacts to the Presidential Center for display, they will be archived and preserved at a separate facility.[4]
The center is located on a 19.3-acre (7.8 ha) campus in Jackson Park on the South Side of Chicago, adjacent to the University of Chicago campus.[10] The center's main entry point is located at John Lewis Plaza.[11] The university provides planning, support, engagement and programming.[12]
In May 2026, it was projected that the Presidential Center would get over 700,000 visitors each year.[13]"...
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VIDEOS ABOUT THE OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER AND ITS GRAND OPENING
These videos are presented in no particular order. Numbers are added for referencing purposes only.
SHOWCASE VIDEO #1 - Obama Presidential Center | From "Me" to "We": A New Monument for Democracy + Interviews
Architecture Hunter, Premiered Jun 14, 2026
Obama Presidential Center — A New Civic Landmark in Chicago
| Featuring President Barack Obama & the Architects Behind the Project
Rising from the historic landscape of Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side, the Obama Presidential Center stands among the most ambitious civic and cultural projects built in the United States in recent decades.
Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA), the 19-acre campus is anchored by a 225-foot (69-meter) granite-clad tower and complemented by the Forum, the Library, public gardens, gathering spaces, and an expansive landscape designed to serve the city for generations to come.
More than a presidential library, the project was conceived as a democratic campus, a place where architecture, education, culture, and civic engagement come together. Inspired by the belief that meaningful change emerges through collective action, a principle that defined the presidency of President Barack Obama, the Center reimagines what a presidential institution can be: not a monument to the past, but a platform for the future.
In this film, we experience the project through a poetic and cinematic architectural journey, exploring how landscape, materiality, light, and public space come together to create an environment that belongs as much to the people of Chicago as it does to the legacy of the Obama Presidency.
The film also features a rare and extensive interview with President Barack Obama, alongside conversations with the architects of Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, offering unique insight into the ideas, values, and ambitions that shaped the project over more than a decade of development.
Throughout the conversation, the President reflects on his vision for a place that would remain active and meaningful long after his time in office, a campus where visitors can learn from history, engage with their communities, and discover their own capacity to create change. The architects share how concepts such as democracy, belonging, participation, and the idea of moving “from me to we” became the foundation for a project expressed not through a single building, but through an interconnected collection of spaces woven into the landscape.
At the heart of the campus stands the iconic tower, a monumental form whose granite façade changes continuously with light, weather, and time of day. Engraved excerpts from President Barack Obama’s historic Selma speech further reinforce the building’s symbolic role as a vessel for civic memory and collective aspiration.
Surrounding the architecture, planted roofs, gardens, playgrounds, gathering spaces, sports facilities, and community programs transform the campus into what the design team describes as a truly democratic landscape, one where all people are welcome and encouraged to participate.
This film explores architecture’s ability to shape civic life, foster belonging, and give physical form to ideas that extend far beyond the boundaries of a building. Through architecture, landscape, and conversation, the Obama Presidential Center offers a powerful vision of what public space can become in the twenty-first century.
Project: Obama Presidential Center
Architecture: Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA)
Film by: Architecture Hunter
Archive and Drone Footage: courtesy of The Obama Foundation
Fixer: Helio Bodini
Cinematography: John Nicholls
Location Sound: Joseph Vnuck
Location: Chicago, USA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CIsWum5eGg
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #2- Inside look at Obama Presidential Center: Tickets, design, exhibits + MORE | The Brief
NBC Chicago, Jun 18, 2026
In this episode of The Brief, NBC Chicago Political Reporter
Mary Ann Ahern gives us the inside scoop and a first look at the new Obama
Presidential Center opening June 19th on Chicago's South Side.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
0:39 - Why Chicago's South Side?
1:06 - Symbolism of the South Side
1:39 - Groundbreaking & construction
2:45 - Designing the center
6:16 - Exhibits
6:50 - Cost to build
7:03 - Visitor information
7:46 - Transforming the South Side
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvnmJp2-lnY
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #3 - First look inside the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park
CBS News Chicago, Jun 4, 2026
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #4 - Inside the curated mural photos at the Obama Presidential Center
CBS Chicago, Jun 18, 2026
When you walk into the Forum building at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, you are immediately welcomed by a mural of photos lining the wall. The work is not only a salute to the South Side, but a way to honor the work of a local artist who got his start with Ebony Magazine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00axJegwSV4
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #5 - First visitors to Obama center get to meet former president, first lady
ABC 7 Chicago, June 19, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g3VAkYDv6U
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #6- Obama
Presidential Center Opens on Juneteenth in Historic Chicago Celebration
The Daily Guardian, June 19, 2026
The Obama Presidential Center officially opened its museum to the public on Juneteenth in Chicago, drawing visitors from across the United States. Many attendees described the moment as historic and emotional, celebrating the legacy of former U.S. President Barack Obama and the significance of Juneteenth. The opening featured exhibits highlighting Obama's presidency, leadership, and impact on American history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXfHWb5K9dw
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SHOWCASE VIDEO #7- Opening day at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago
@choosechicago, June 19, 2026
Couldn’t imagine a better place to celebrate Juneteenth than the opening of the Obama Presidential Center.
👇 This weekend, enjoy
FREE, non-ticketed programming across the campus, including:
• Performances and commissioned artist showcases
• Storytime and hands-on activities at the Chicago Public
Library branch
• Double Dutch performances and jump rope workshops at Home
Court
• Interactive gardening experiences in the Eleanor Roosevelt
Fruit and Vegetable Garden
• Talks and conversations in the auditorium
• Guided and self-guided audio tours
• Sports and play stations at Home Court featuring Chicago
team mascots
TIP: A new daily shuttle from Choose Chicago and Big Bus will connect the campus directly with downtown for only $10 one-way and $17 roundtrip!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FeX8Q_9XGLI
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