Richard Hunt’s Book Bird, installed in the Obama Presidential Center's Library Reading Garden, stands as a profound testament to the emancipatory power of knowledge.
Selected by President Barack Obama as the first artist to create a work for the Obama Presidential Center, Richard Hunt considered the commission to be a tremendous honor.
In 1971, Richard Hunt acquired a decommissioned electrical substation built by Chicago Railways Company in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, transforming it into a cathedral-like studio that would serve as his creative sanctuary for over fifty years.
Richard Hunt's long-time friend and fellow artist, Theaster Gates, acquired the studio after Hunt's passing to preserve the space for creative exploration for future generations.
By bridging food, art, education, and cultural storytelling, The Hunt offers a model for rethinking shared campus spaces.