Some familiar voices will guide visitors on audio tours of the Obama Presidential Center, and not just the former president and first lady.
Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks will narrate portions of the presidential library audio tour, and prolific voice actor Cree Summer will narrate a family-centered guide. The Obama Center’s audio guides will be streamed on the Bloomberg Connects app, which provides audio guides to a range of cultural institutions, including LACMA, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Academy Museum.
The Obama Center is scheduled to open June 19 in Jackson Park on Chicago’s South Side.
Winfrey will narrate the center’s campus guide, which details the construction of the 19-acre campus and its roots in the neighborhood. Also appearing in the campus guide are Barack and Michelle Obama, artist Richard Hunt — who was commissioned for his latest work on the floor — chef Cliff Roma and NBA star Stephen Curry.
summer (A different world, Rugrats) will feature the voices of the Obama family dogs, Beau and Sunny, in an interactive version of the campus guide designed for elementary school-age visitors.
Hanks will narrate the museum guide, describing key exhibits detailing the Obama family’s time in the White House and moments from Barack Obama’s campaign and presidency.
Kareem Deal, Obama’s special assistant for disability policy during his term, will narrate the descriptive audio tour of the center. Bloomberg Connects will also feature a guide to the library’s artworks, presented by Michelle Obama and including commentary from the artists behind the work.
“We are excited to enhance the visitor experience at the Obama Presidential Center with our campus audio guide, created in partnership with Bloomberg Connects,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation. “Across campus, visitors will experience how ordinary people working together can do extraordinary things through exhibits, storytelling, interactive exhibits, arts, and programs.”
