Firm That Designed African American Museum Hired For Obama Museum
The same design firm responsible for creating the National Museum of African American History & Culture, is also in charge of planning the exhibits at Barack Obama's presidential library in Chicago.
According to a report from dnainfo, The Obama Foundation announced that it will be collaborating with Ralph Applebaum Associates on the exhibition spaces in Obama's library and museum, which will be located in Chicago's Jackson Park.
The design team will include several people that are native to Chicago (specifically the South Side of the city), such as artist Amanda Williams, as well as Andres Hernandez and Norman Teague. The team will be in charge of creating state-of-the-art interactive exhibits for the museum.
"We are honored to lead this incredible exhibition design team and to collaborate with the Obama Foundation to help develop a presidential center that reflects the dynamism and openness of the Obama presidency and encourages and supports civic engagement," founder Ralph Appelbaum said.
"Obviously, it is a tremendous honor to participate in a project that will resonate locally and globally," Williams added. "As someone who was raised on the South Side, it brings my childhood aspirations for what is possible for my community full circle."
In other Barack-related news, lawmakers in Chicago are trying to make the former president's birthday a holiday.
According to a report from ABC 7 Chicago, three bills have been introduced that would all make Obama's birthday, August 4, an official holiday called "Barack Obama Day."
Two of the bills, proposed by Democratic Representatives Andre Thapedi and Sonya Harper, would change the date into a "legal holiday," meaning that all state government offices would shut down, while schools and businesses would have the option of closing.
The third one, which is a Senate bill co-sponsored by Democratic Senator Jacqueline Collins, would make the date commemorative.
Last year, Thapedi attempted to make "Barack Obama Day" a state holiday, but was unsuccessful.
"This bill is even stronger this year now that Obama is no longer in the White House," Thapedi said. "Last year, there were some concerns, honoring a sitting president. Now that he's no longer a sitting president, it's even more appropriate."