Every president and first lady have left their mark on the U.S. with signature initiatives and causes they have championed. For Michelle Obama, these accomplishments include Let Girls Learn, an effort to expand educational opportunities for girls around the world; Joining Forces, a nationwide call to support veterans and service members; and Let's Move!, an initiative dedicated to helping kids and families lead healthier lives, which inspired the First Lady to plant the White House Kitchen Garden. As the Obama family's time at the helm comes to an end, we're also looking back at all the ways that their famous home has been altered, forever honoring the first African-American family to reside there. Read on to see four changes Mrs. Obama made in the White House.
In 2009 Mrs. Obama planted the White House Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn, which has since provided fresh, seasonal produce for White House events. It marks the first major vegetable garden at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden in 1943. While Roosevelt was responding to a food crisis during World War II—victory gardens were planted around the country to prevent a food shortage and ensure that there was enough food for soldiers fighting around the world—Mrs. Obama's was inspired by her Let's Move! initiative to combat childhood obesity. Not only does the garden's produce feed the First Family and their guests, but schools can also visit and take classes to learn about food waste and healthy living. The 2,800-square-foot space includes a pollinator garden to support bees and butterflies, as well as design elements like an arbor and benches made of recycled or salvaged wood from the estates of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and Martin Luther King Jr., in addition to other locations throughout the U.S.
The State Floor’s Old Family Dining Room was opened for public viewing in 2015 for the first time in White House history after Mrs. Obama carefully redesigned the space. The First Lady selected several American abstract works that were donated to the White House permanent collection to be displayed, along with a 1966 canvas by Alma Thomas, making her the first African-American woman artist represented in the White House. Mrs. Obama also updated the room's paint color and added elegant bronze sconces.
With the help of decorator Michael S. Smith, the Obamas added a rich variety of artwork throughout the historic home, most notably in their personal quarters. “Mrs. Obama often talks about bringing new voices into the national conversation, and that idea informed many of the decisions we made,” Smith says. “We selected artists and designers who would never have appeared in the White House before.” In the private residence and offices, the Obamas unleashed their desire for a more diverse art program that includes abstract and modern works.
One responsibility every first lady bears is that of designing the official White House china. There is deep significance to such a seemingly small creation—after all, the tableware sets the tone for every state dinner and official event. From ornate images of bald eagles and North America's flora and fauna to architectural details that mimic the White House's façade, the designs vary widely in taste and style. Lady Bird Johnson's collection took nearly four years to hand-paint, and Truman's administration was the first to use a standardized presidential seal. Each set costs thousands of dollars, and Mrs. Obama worked with Michael S. Smith as well as Pickard China of Antioch, Illinois—the First Lady’s home state—to design and manufacture a simple green, white, and gold collection.
Mrs. Obama's contributions to the overall betterment of the U.S. in the past eight years are innumerable, and we certainly appreciate the ones she has made to restore, renew, and update the most historic home in the country. While there are suggestions that Melania Trump may add a glam room to the White House when Donald Trump is sworn in, we will have to wait to see what comes next.
