Obama Presidential Center unveils towering painted glass art installation by Ethiopian-American artist Julie Mehretu

CHICAGO — The Barack Obama Presidential Center is coming together piece by piece on the city’s South Side and a new towering installation by a world-renowned artist has just been announced.

A spokesperson for the Obama Foundation announced Monday that an 83-foot-tall, 25-foot-wide, commissioned work by Ethiopian-American artist Julie Mehretu has been installed on the north facade of the center’s museum building.

The piece, titled “Uprising of the Sun,“ consists of 35 abstract, painted glass panels that reflect on the historical context of former President Obama’s legacy.

Mehretu’s new work was completed, in collaboration with Franz Mayer Studio, using several techniques, including hand painting, freehand airbrushing, ceramic melting colors, and tape masking.

According to a spokesperson for the foundation, the piece is Mehretu’s first work in glass.

“I wanted to honor Chicago’s history and President Obama’s legacy by telling a story about how change happens,” Mehretu said. “This work is layered with history, and I’m eager to see how people will connect with it – whether you’re a grandparent from the South Side of Chicago or a kid from Addis Ababa. I hope it serves as an invitation to every visitor that they are welcome to be a part of the Center’s mission to make an impact and work towards a better future.”

Mehretu is a New York-based artist who has been the recipient of numerous accolades throughout her career, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2005 and the Medal of Arts Award from the US Department of State in 2015.

“Julie learned at a young age how access to public space can help shape and affect people’s lives,” former President Obama said in a news release on Monday. “For her to be a part of what we hope will be a transformative institution that will be unique in how it brings so many different people, ideas, and resources together is a wonderful opportunity for us.”

In 2020, Mehretu was among TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year.

Mehretu’s new piece is the third commission announced by the foundation and the first to be installed. The two previously announced works include a sculpture by renowned Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt, titled the “Book Bird,” and a water feature titled “Seeing Through the Universe” by artist and architect Maya Lin, who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The Barack Obama Presidential Center has been under construction since 2021 and topped out in June , reaching its full height of 225 feet.

The building will sit on a 19.3-acre campus within Jackson Park and Mehretu’s vibrant work will be just one of more than 20 original pieces of artwork across the campus grounds, both indoors and outdoors.

The center is expected to open in the spring of 2026 and according to a spokesperson, most of the pieces will be available to the public free of charge

“President and Mrs. Obama believe that art is an essential part of inspiring the next generation of leaders,” said Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett. “In line with our mission, the Obama Presidential Center will feature arts education programs and spaces for visual art, theater, and dance, along with talks, performances, and workshops.”

Alongside the museum building, the campus will also provide athletic programs , an events facility, an auditorium, a branch of the Chicago Public Library and a vegetable garden.

The center will also house community and conference facilities as well as the nonprofit Obama Foundation .

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