An installation by Afro-Cuban artist María Magdalena Campos Pons has been added to the permanent collection of the newly opened Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. This piece stands out as one of the most significant commissions for the museum, which welcomed visitors for the first time this past Friday.
According to journalist Wilfredo Cancio Isla, the artwork is titled Still Holding the Scent of Flowers and was commissioned by the Obama Foundation earlier this year.
The mixed-media installation draws inspiration from the White House Rose Garden and is displayed near the replica of the Oval Office in the museum's exhibition halls. The museum opened to the public on June 19, the day after its official inauguration ceremony, as noted by Cancio.
Campos Pons, who is 66, describes the work as "a fireworks display of diversity," weaving together roses, tulips, magnolias, pink and blue hyacinths, carrots, broccoli, herbs, and apple blossoms. She presents it as a meditation on the American landscape, according to the report.
Representing Campos Pons, the Wendi Norris Gallery explains that the reinterpretation of the Rose Garden manifests as "a perpetual bloom symbolizing memory, renewal, diversity, and hope."
This installation joins the contributions from about thirty American artists selected for the center's permanent collection, which showcases a variety of voices, disciplines, and perspectives.
Louise Bernard, founding director of the Obama Presidential Center Museum, emphasized the project's scope: "Together, these works reflect the depth and breadth of President and Mrs. Obama's commitment to public art and to artists whose practices illuminate the complexities of place, identity, and belonging," Cancio reported.
Bernard further mentioned that "their contributions will anchor the Center in a vibrant artistic legacy that reflects the values championed by President and Mrs. Obama: openness, engagement, and a profound respect for the diverse stories that compose our nation."
The article further elaborates on Campos Pons, who was born in Matanzas in 1959 to a family with African and Chinese ancestry. She was educated at Cuba's National School of Art and later at the Higher Institute of Art (ISA) in Havana, before emigrating to the United States in 1991. In 1988, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in Media Arts from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. Since 2017, she has held the Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair of Fine Arts at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she currently resides.
Her international career includes participation in the Venice Biennale, Documenta 14, the Dakar Biennale, and exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Smithsonian. In December 2024, she was honored with the ARTnews Award for Lifetime Achievement.
The Obama Presidential Center, located in Chicago's Jackson Park, spans 7.8 hectares and was built at a cost of $850 million. It features a museum, public library, community spaces, basketball court, children's playground, and recording studio. The June 18 inauguration coincided with Juneteenth, a day of significant importance for the African American community, and brought together former Presidents Biden, Bush, and Clinton, along with their spouses and former First Ladies, as well as artists like Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, and Bono.
Key Insights on the Obama Presidential Center and Its Art Collection
What inspired María Magdalena Campos Pons' installation at the Obama Presidential Center?
The installation, inspired by the White House Rose Garden, is described as a meditation on the American landscape, featuring a diverse array of flowers and plants.
When did the Obama Presidential Center open to the public?
The Obama Presidential Center opened to the public on June 19, following its official inauguration ceremony on June 18.
What are some features of the Obama Presidential Center?
The Center includes a museum, public library, community spaces, a basketball court, children's playground, and a recording studio.