Public Art Project Manager, Obama Presidential Center

About the Obama Foundation

At the Obama Foundation, we are guided by a core belief: that ordinary people working together can change history. Our mission is to inspire those people to take action, empower them to change their world for the better, and connect them so they can achieve more together than they can alone.

We were founded by community organizers, so when we seek change, we do it by bringing people together. 

That approach begins at home, on the South Side of Chicago, where we are building the Obama Presidential Center. The Center represents a historic opportunity for Chicago: a chance to build a world-class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady, steps away from where he began his career, where she was raised, and where—together—they made their home. 

But that approach extends to all our work, whether it’s holding leadership training sessions in communities throughout the U.S., bringing local leaders together in countries around the world, working to support the global education of girls, or ensuring young men of color have pathways to opportunity.

As President Obama has said, “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.” So join us. 

For more information, please visit www.obama.org.

Purpose of the Role

As the Public Art Project Manager at the Obama Presidential Center, you will play a pivotal role in managing the integration of art into the Center’s physical spaces. You will collaborate closely with various internal and external stakeholders, including our external art advisor, and coordinate across several departments: Design and Construction, Exhibitions, Collections, Curatorial, Creative & Communications, Development, Programming, Operations, and Legal, among others to ensure the seamless execution of the Obamas’ artistic vision for the campus in the lead-up to the Grand Opening, slated for spring of 2026. You will also directly manage the Art Coordinator, and oversee the fabrication and installation of artworks into spaces across campus — both in the landscape and inside the buildings. This is a termed position, coming to an end in May, 2026.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Oversee and manage the workflow for art at the Obama Presidential Center, from approved concept to facilitating the seamless installation of the final works, while ensuring that the work can be feasibly fabricated and installed within the budget 
• Provide work direction and leadership to art track of work, including lateral management of colleagues, assignment of work, and review of project efforts
• Oversee Art Coordinator workstreams around workplan, schedule, and timeline development; communication and deliverables coordination; and milestone monitoring 
• Assess variances from the project plan; gather metrics, and develop and implement changes as necessary to ensure that the art track of work remains within specified scope and is within time, cost, and quality objectives
• Develop and lead an appropriate cadence of meetings and updates to the broader OPC team, Development, Marcomm, Leadership, and external stakeholders to inform and inspire around the art track of work
• Work closely with the Legal team, Museum Director, external Art Consultant, and artists to ensure timely execution of contracts
• Maintain an understanding of and ensure appropriate management of art budget, including performing a detailed budget audit
• Develop, manage, and own a review and approval process for concepts, contracts, fabrication, installation, and maintenance plans
• Coordinate closely with design and construction teams to ensure that external consultants and artists have the architectural and structural information needed to inform their work and that the art concepts accommodate those constraints
• Collaborate with design and construction leads, artists, and third party vendors and consultants to support the timely delivery of artworks and project manage installation as needed in coordination with union representatives
• Coordinate deeply with other workstreams and departments across the Foundation and the Center, including Visitor Experience, Signage and Wayfinding, Collections, Building Operations, Public Engagement (Communications, Creative, Marketing, Content), Legal, Finance, Risk Management, Development, OPC Programs, and Events
• Perform other duties as assigned

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

• Lead contract finalization for all outstanding commissions, ensuring that contracts are executed on schedule and implemented in adherence with Foundation policies
• Manage art budget and ensure fabri