Obama Presidential Center and Museum

Technology that reflects on the past to inspire the future.

The Obama Presidential Center Museum is more than a place to preserve history. It is a space that offers an immersive, participatory journey through the story of the Obama presidency and the history that shaped it. Designed to engage, challenge, and inspire, the Museum ultimately invites visitors to reflect on leadership, democracy, and community — and to consider their own role in shaping the future. Designed to create an engaging and inclusive environment, the Museum encourages guests to gather, interact and feel empowered to contribute to positive social change.

This museum is a vision brought to life through an immersive audiovisual experience spanning four floors, guiding visitors on an interactive journey through President Obama’s life, leadership and legacy. Thoughtfully integrated audiovisual technology, interactive media and curated exhibits foster moments of both personal reflection and shared participation. By connecting President Obama’s story to the broader American narrative, the experience encourages every visitor to consider the role they play in shaping the nation’s future.

Working with the project lead, Exhibition Design firm Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA), Electrosonic delivered end-to-end audiovisual technical design services for the Obama Presidential Center Museum, spanning AV consulting, concept design, schematic design, design development and final design documentation. Every phase carefully supported the museum's vision of creating a memorable, immersive experience that educates, inspires and encourages meaningful visitor engagement.

Breaking down barriers to bring history to life.

The Obama Presidential Center is a global hub for inspiring, empowering, and connecting people to make change. Through its modern, technological Museum and its broader campus, the Center invites visitors of all ages to explore the ideas explore the ideas and values that shape our democracy, engage with the story of President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, and be inspired to bring change home to their own communities.

RAA engaged Electrosonic to design a completely new audio, visual and control system that aligns with the Foundation’s intent. RAA selected Electrosonic due to a longstanding partnership with over 20+ years of collaboration and reliable expertise in designing complex, immersive AV environments translating exhibit concepts into reliable, scalable technical solutions.

The result is a seamless blending of AV technologies into the exhibits, enhancing the visitor experience while maintaining long-term maintainability, flexibility and performance of the installed systems across four levels of the museum. The system design includes high-performance equipment to drive interactive touchscreen displays, immersive projection zones and multi-floor edge blended projection systems that creates large scaled seamless visual environments, enhancing the sense of continuity and spectacle with the space.

From venue to vehicle, creating innovation in motion.

The overarching message of the Obama Presidential Center Museum is hope. More than an emotion, hope is presented as a catalyst for action, a force capable of inspiring individuals, strengthening communities and creating meaningful change. Every gallery in the museum is designed to leave guests with the feeling that progress is possible when people choose to participate, persevere and believe in something greater than themselves.

AV technology plays a central role in bringing that message to life. Immersive media surrounds visitors with the voices, stories and moments that defined an era. The layered approach of technology accommodates a wide range of learning styles, ensuring that visitors engage through sight, sound, interaction and reflection. Technology becomes more than a method of presentation, it becomes a bridge between the audience and the experiences, conversations and decisions that shaped a presidency.

By the time visitors leave, the technology fades into the background and the message remains. Hope is no longer simply a theme of the exhibition, it becomes a personal invitation. The museum reminds every guest that history is not written only by presidents or public figures, but by ordinary people willing to take extraordinary steps.

Turning lessons into lived experiences.

This initiative reshapes how historical lessons are experienced, transforming abstract events into meaningful encounters that resonate with visitors. By traveling directly to neighborhoods and schools, the program removes barriers that often limit engagement, allowing more people to connect with survivor memories and the enduring significance of these events. It ensures that every young person, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to connect with these stories and the human lessons they carry.

Beyond accessibility, the project encourages critical thinking and reflection. Advanced interactive technologies and expertly coordinated systems create an immersive setting, allowing learners to engage fully with the material and fostering empathy, awareness and a sense of responsibility that extends beyond the classroom.

By delivering this content directly into schools and local communities, the program ensures equitable access to meaningful, high-quality learning opportunities. The integration of audiovisual technology plays a critical role in enabling the presentation of rich, layered content in a compact environment using dynamic visuals and sound to capture attention while supporting different learning styles. Importantly, this technology does not replace human interaction. Instead, it works to enhance interactivity between the educator and students, providing customizable, media-rich ways to ask and answer questions while engaging students in discussion.

Pushing Progress Forward Through Action.

Toward a More Perfect Union, on the second level of the museum, allows visitors to see what is possible when ordinary people work together to enact change. It explains the progress that is pushed forward through historic movements and moments that shaped Obama’s careers in public service and the rise in their political career.

‘Yes We Can’ celebrates the diverse coalition of people whose passion, determination and activism helped propel Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. Through personal stories, visitors discover the individuals and communities who came together to make the historic election possible. Looped media displays immersive film, photography and multimedia presentations that capture the energy of the campaign, highlighting the defining moments, grassroots efforts and collective spirit that transformed hope into action.

The Immersive Stories Behind the Headlines.

‘Working for the Common Good’ explores the challenges President Obama faced upon taking office. Visitors are introduced to a nation grappling with multiple international conflicts and a severe economic recession at home. Through immersive storytelling, the exhibit highlights the landmark legislation, pivotal decisions and transformative policies that shaped the Obama administration and sought to improve the lives of millions of Americans.

The People Stories Media experience brings the impact of President Obama's policies to life through firsthand accounts from individuals and communities whose lives were shaped by his administration. Using motion-sensing technology and immersive 55 inch displays, visitors can explore these personal stories while engaging with the exhibit at their own pace. Separate media presentation chronicles Obama’s journey to developing and implementing these landmark policies, providing a behind the scene look at the administrations most significant achievements.

Technology that shows visitors the story of progress.

The museum’s fourth level recreates the atmosphere of the White House during the Obama administration through, ‘The People’s House’. Upon taking office, President Obama sought to make the White House more welcoming and accessible, transforming it into a place that reflected the diversity and the spirit of the nation. Through cultural performance, community gatherings and educational events, it became more than the President’s residence, it became a shared space that embodied the administration’s message of hope, inclusion and positive change.

The exhibit features a series of projected films that explore the opening of the White House to the public and life inside the White House during the Obama administration.

Interactive LCD touch screens invite visitors to explore the many programs, events and initiatives that took place within the White House, offering a deeper understanding of its role beyond the presidency.

We The People

Interactivity inspires the next generation of changemakers.

‘We The People’ highlights the role that everyone plays in keeping a democracy alive to form a perfect union. On this floor, visitors can view projected media and hear from people that have changed the world from notable people to everyday heroes.

Here, projected media explores the administration’s environmental initiatives and the steps taken to help preserve the planet, while reinforcing the idea that “We are the change that we seek”. Interactive experiences invite guests to explore the actions individuals and communities took to create a meaningful change, demonstrating how collective efforts can make a lasting impact.

Visitors enter an interactive storytelling space when they are sharing their own experiences and aspirations. Using audio recording, motion-sensing technology and responsive media, the installation comes to life as guests move through the space, reinforcing the idea that every voice has the power to contribute to a larger story.

Before leaving the exhibit, visitors are encouraged to reflect on their own aspirations by creating a personalized “Yes You Can” digital button at an interactive touchscreen. Featuring their own commitment to positive change, the button serves as a reminder that everyone has the ability to make a difference in the world.