Jackson Park in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Julie Mehretu, b. 1970

Uprising of the Sun, 2024

— Paint, digital laminate, ceramic enamel, glass —

Julie Mehretu, b. 1970 Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 17, 2026

1. Julie Mehretu, b. 1970 Marker

Inscription. Julie Mehretu's 83-foot painted window acts like a prism, reimagining Chicago's history and future. Influenced by Black liberation and inspired by Obama's 2015 Selma speech, the work references artists like Afwerk Tekele, Jacob Lawrence, and Robert S. Duncanson. Mehretu combines elements of digitally-manipulated photographs with hand-applied, airbrushed, splattered, and masked paint to transform historic references into layered shapes, colors, and rhythms that connect past and present.

With gratitude to Sean and Alexandra Parker for their support of The Obama Foundation

Erected 2026 by Barack Obama Presidential Center.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #44 Barack Obama series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 2024.

Location. 41° 47.192′ N, 87° 35.161′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Jackson Park. It is on South Stony Island Avenue near Midway Plaisance, on the right when traveling north. The marker is on the grounds of the

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Barack Obama Presidential Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6001 South Stony Island Avenue, Chicago IL 60637, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Chicago’s South Side. It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Acknowledging Indigenous Peoples' Land and Territory (within shouting distance of this marker); History of Jackson Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Remembering Lori Healey (1959-2025) (within shouting distance of this marker); Alison Saar, b. 1956 (within shouting distance of this marker); The First Automobile Race in America (within shouting distance of this marker); Maya Lin, b. 1959 (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Boulevard System (about 300 feet away);

Julie Mehretu, b. 1970 Marker, near the window she designed at the Obama Center image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 17, 2026

2. Julie Mehretu, b. 1970 Marker, near the window she designed at the Obama Center

Jackson Park (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Also see . . .
1. Remarks by the President at the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Marches. The text of Obama's speech in Selma on March 7, 2015. (Submitted on October 20, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Julie Mehretu (Wikipedia). (Submitted on October 20, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

<i>Uprising of the Sun</i> at the Obama Center image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, October 17, 2026

3. Uprising of the Sun at the Obama Center

Credits. This page was last revised on October 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 20, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 20, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.