Thousands attend star-studded Obama Center opening ceremony; center opens to public | Updates

The Obama Presidential Center's head of operations John Roberson said he is excited that the big day is here.

"This has been a long time coming," Roberson said. "There is so many people who have put in so much work to bring this concept to fruition. Obviously, president and Mrs. Obama, starting with their idea of what they wanted this presentation to be and to be intentional about locating it here on the South Side of Chicago," Robinson said. "As someone born in Chicago, raised by Chicago, this is very personal for me, so to have the honor and the responsibility to steward this iconic global, cultural civic institution, couldn't be more excited."

The Obama Presidential Center's head of operations John Roberson said he is excited that the big day is here.

It's a historic moment for Chicago.
We know the center is rooted in legacy and history, that includes even with the vendors selected.
Chrishon Lampley, founder of Love Corkscrew and the Lampley Wines, joined ABC7 to talk about her wines that will be in the Obama Presidential Center.

We know the center is rooted in legacy and history, that includes even with the vendors selected.

Artist Theaster Gates sat down with ABC7 ahead of the opening.

The artist and University of Chicago professor was born and raised on the city's West Side. This emotional tribute blends Chicago history with his own family story.

The 175-foot frieze installation by Theaster Gates now anchors the atrium named after Hadiya Pendleton, the Chicago teenager shot and killed just days after marching in President Obama's second inaugural parade.

Artist Theaster Gates sat down with ABC7 ahead of the opening.

"Memorial is one of the ways that we grapple with the grief that we have," Gates said. "The tribute to sister Pendleton is that she is part of a web of people, women who have sacrificed their lives to gain traction for the greater good."

To honor that sacrifice, Gates looked back to his own humble beginnings on Chicago's West Side.

"My dad was a roofer," Gates said. "I decided that I would take these images from Howard Simmons and Johnson Publishing and I would overlay them with images from the roofing material that my dad had taught me to use, and that those images, combined with my dad's labor, the symbol of my dad's labor, would create this new continuous line of images of the American story or an American story."

Using art to anchor community is nothing new for Gates. He helped save a historic South Shore building from the wrecking ball and transform it into the Stony Island Arts Bank.

"You have to decide there's something you can do to make the ugly beautiful again," Gates said.

Now, with his latest work, he hopes the artwork serves as a permanent anchor for democracy, equity and reflection.

"I think great art should inspire generations," Gates said. "This building is not just about bricks and mortar, it is the possibility of capturing the truth that people's belief in voting, people's belief in equity and equality, that those things, those things need a home."

Chicago's South Side is the center of attention Thursday with the grand opening of the Obama Presidential center.

Neighbors in Jackson Park are getting ready for the thousands of people expected to be there Thursday and all weekend.

Thursday's Grand Opening ceremony starts at 11 a.m.

A VIP list of dignitaries, including former presidents and first ladies, will join the Obamas Thursday.

There's a star-studded line up including Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Christina Aguilera, and U2's Bono and The Edge.

The event at the Obama Presidential Center is invite-only, but the Midway Plaisance watch party was open for the public who have tickets. Prohibited items for the watch party include coolers, drones, professional cameras, signs, hammocks and more.

Many street and sidewalk closures are already in place. Residents and visitors alike are being advised about increased traffic and should plan accordingly.

The Chicago Police Department and the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications are reminding everyone security measures are in place and may caused delays.

At several locations, there are vehicle checkpoints and anti-scale fencing as multiple former presidents and first ladies attend the ceremony, along with foreign dignitaries, congressional members, celebrities and other VIPs.