Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey Michael Kovac/Getty Images Some very familiar voices will guide visitors on the 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 audio tour for the presidential library, and prolific voice actor Cree Summer will narrate a family-centric guide. The Obama Center’s audio guides will live on the Bloomberg Connects app, which provides audio guides for a host 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.
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Winfrey will narrate the center’s campus guide, which details the building of the 19-acre campus and its roots in the neighborhood. Barack and Michelle Obama, artist Richard Hunt — whose final commissioned work is on the grounds — chef Cliff Rome and NBA star Stephen Curry are also featured in the campus guide.
Summer (A Different World, Rugrats) will provide the voices of the Obamas’ dogs, Bo 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 that detail the Obama family’s time in the White House and moments from Barack Obama‘s campaign and presidency.
Kareem Dale, Obama’s special assistant for disability policy during his tenure, will narrate the audio descriptive tour for the center. Bloomberg Connects will also feature a guide to the artworks at the library, introduced by Michelle Obama and featuring commentary from the artists behind the work.
“We are excited to enhance the visitor experience at the Obama Presidential Center through our campus audio guide, created in partnership with Bloomberg Connects,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of The Obama Foundation. “Throughout our campus visitors will experience how ordinary people who work together are able to do extraordinary things through exhibits, storytelling, interactive exhibits, art, and programs.”
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