Updated June 18, 2026 at 8:13 PM EDT
Nearly a decade in the making, the Obama Presidential Center held its grand opening ceremony complete with star-studded guest list, musical performances and four former presidents, including Obama himself.
The grand opening, which hosted "global leaders, artists, changemakers, and citizens," featured musical performances and appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Christina Aguilera and John Legend, among others. The event closed with a performance of "Higher Ground" featuring Stevie Wonder, Springsteen, Legend, rapper Common, U2's Bono and other stars.
It channeled Obama-era hope and change vibes, and the cool factor the Obamas carefully curated in the White House. But Obama said he does not want his center and museum to be a time capsule.
"The exhibits in the center are not meant to evoke nostalgia for some gauzy bygone era, some unattainable past that we can dream about and say 'oh we miss you Barack'," Obama said.
Every living president attended except one: President Trump. During a press preview in early June, longtime Obama White House aide and current CEO of the Obama Foundation Valerie Jarrett said Trump is welcome to visit the museum and they'd love to give him a tour. She said he simply was not invited to the dedication.
"I can tell you that this is a celebration for those who helped get President Obama where he is. And this is a gift to them," Jarrett said. "And so the people who will be here are the people who've been helpful along the way."
Despite his absence, Trump remained a feature of the event, with subtle comments about the future of democracy and American ideals.
Former first lady Michelle Obama, though, in listing her husband's accomplishments in office, made a more pointed statement.
"You were doing the people's work, rescuing our economy, expanding healthcare, ending a war, ordering the Bin Ladin raid, saving an auto industry," she said before emphasizing, "winning a peace prize."
The comment elicited an audible belly laugh from former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton.
Trump famously pines for a Nobel Peace Prize, something then-President Obama won in 2009.
But despite the reminiscing about Obama's presidency, the man himself hopes the center that bears his name will impact people in the future.
"I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious, our democracy truly is," Obama said.
The center itself is a more-than-19-acre space on the south side of Chicago that describes itself as a campus and features a towering museum that curators envision inspiring change and offering hope. It presents a close look at what life was like in the Obama White House.
The campus also houses a branch of the Chicago Public Library, as well as an NBA regulation-size basketball court and a Women's Garden, created in tribute to female leaders in Chicago. It also has an auditorium, a media suite that visitors can use, a Wetland Walk and a fruit and vegetable garden and a playground.
It is not, though, a presidential library and it will not house the former president's presidential documents. Those documents are in the largely digital Barack Obama Presidential Library run by the National Archives. The center does have some records and artifacts on display in its museum on loan.
Copyright 2026 NPR
