Alvin Ailey
Obama Presidential Center Honoree
Space Name: A More Inclusive America, in honor of Alvin Ailey | Museum | Level 5
Alvin Ailey was a choreographer, dancer, and founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. His groundbreaking work, including the iconic Revelations , blended ballet, modern dance, and Black spirituals, gospel, and blues to portray suffering, resilience, and joy. Through his company’s performances, training, and community programs, Ailey’s legacy continues to showcase artistic vision as a force for connection and understanding while expanding access to arts education in communities across the US.
With gratitude to Prudential Financial
Legacy on Campus
We The People
Journey through Level 5 and examine the role we play in building and maintaining a more perfect union. This level features stories of luminaries such as Ailey whose work opened the door for Black and Brown dancers across the industry.
Art on Campus
Explore a variety of events that celebrate different forms of artistic expression and embody the values of honorees such as Alvin Ailey and Mahalia Jackson.
Meet More Honorees
Through the honoree naming initiative at the Obama Presidential Center, we are partnering with our donors to celebrate a part of the history in which the Obama story is so deeply rooted by associating a named space with a hero, moment, or person "on whose shoulders we stand"—an honoree who made the Obamas’ story possible.
Meet More Honorees