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maam2025buildingmuseums has ended

Hello and Welcome to the 20th annual Building Museums™ Symposium located at the “Gateway to the West:”

On behalf of the Mid Atlantic Association of Museums (MAAM) Board and the Building Museums™ Planning Committees, we are excited to welcome you to St. Louis, MO for the 2025 Building Museums™ Symposium. Enjoy the Symposium!

Friday March 7, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CST
The Obama Presidential Center (OPC), scheduled to open in 2026 in Chicago's historic Jackson Park, will be a transformative community hub designed to inspire, empower, and connect people to drive change. This dynamic campus will include iconic structures such as the Museum Tower, the Forum, and a branch of the Chicago Public Library, all integrated within a thoughtfully designed landscape. The 19-acre site will also feature a community vegetable garden, athletic facilities, winding wooded paths, and other public spaces like a sledding hill and playground.

At the heart of the OPC is its mission to honor the Obama Presidency while creating a space for civic engagement and future-forward story-making. Unlike traditional presidential libraries that focus on preserving the past, the OPC will serve as a lively platform for shaping new narratives.

Colleagues from the Obama Foundation, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, and Owner Representatives will delve into key aspects of the center’s development. This session will explore topics ranging from the conceptual vision of the OPC to the complexities of its design, construction, and eventual operations. Attendees will gain insights into unique challenges like the creation of a vertical museum, the implementation of an Exhibits program in parallel with the OPC Campus, the development of advanced security designs, and the curation of a robust commissioned art program. Additionally, the panel will discuss how the historical elements of Jackson Park are reflected in the center’s design, seamlessly integrating the past with the vision for the future.

This session will illuminate how the OPC is poised to serve as an economic anchor, a cultural beacon, and a resource for civic engagement, both locally on Chicago’s South Side and for visitors worldwide.

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Understand the complex nature of vertically designed museums and strategies for engaging visitors, while maintaining security, ticketing and operational needs of the museum.
  2. Examine key considerations when contemplating a new museum campus in a historic park.
  3. Understand the integration of a world-class art installation with the building’s exterior envelope.
  4. Examine challenges and strategies in implementing physical and electronic security for a campus-wide presidential center.
AIA Continuing Education Course Number, BMS2025-38
Moderators
JL

John Lupinos

Senior Project Manager, Anser Advisory
John is a project management professional at Anser Advisory with 30 years of experience, primarily in large cultural projects such as the Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park in Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the PG&E Hexavalent Chromium Cleanup Program in California (the... Read More →
Speakers
LC

Lina Chiu

Principal, Lamar Johnson Collaborative
Lina entered the architecture and interior design field in 2000 and has since garnered extensive experience in a wide variety of project types. She is multi-disciplinary and works consistently among different practice areas, including mixed-use developments, residential, hospitality... Read More →
LW

Lindsay Washburn

Director of Exhibitions Planning, Obama Foundation
Lindsay is an accomplished museum professional with expertise leading the development, design, and production of large-scale, complex exhibition projects ranging from the history of chocolate to the science of flight. Prior to joining the Obama Foundation, she held roles bringing... Read More →
avatar for Roark Frankel

Roark Frankel

Director of Planning & Delivery, Obama Foundation
Roark is a lifelong Chicagoan who has worked in the construction and project management fields for over 40 years. As an "Owner's Representative," he has been involved in the development of several Chicago civic institutions and cultural organizations, including the Spertus Institute... Read More →
ER

Evan Ripley

Architect, TOD WILLIAMS BILLIE TSIEN Architects | Partners
Evan joined Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA) in 2002. He has been a leader on the Architecture team designing and managing the Obama Presidential Center (OPC) since the initial design competition in 2016. Prior to the OPC Evan completed several large-scale institutional... Read More →
Friday March 7, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm CST
Grand G, Hyatt Regency 315 Chestnut St, St. Louis, MO 63102, USA

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