<p>As Chicago prepares for the opening of the <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/things-to-do/2026/04/30/obama-presidential-center-museum-tickets-go-on-sale-may-6-heres-what-to-know" >Obama Presidential Center</a> on June 19, a mile south, artist <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/art/2025/09/19/theaster-gates-art-smart-museum-university-of-chicago-unto-thee-rebuild" >Theaster Gates</a> will launch two new hospitality concepts created with the entrepreneur Heiji Choy Black, his longtime friend.</p><p>Opening on June 5, Han Cha, a Korean-inspired high tea salon, and Yunomi, a companion cocktail bar and lounge, are the latest addition to Gates’ nearly two-decade ambition to build a cultural corridor on the city’s South Side.</p><p>Choy Black said she hopes the two new concepts will boost the South Side’s profile for dining, but also serve as “a welcoming gateway into the neighborhood.” The Obama Presidential Center will also have a fine-dining restaurant and cafes spearheaded by <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/food-drink/2026/01/21/chef-cliff-rome-obama-presidential-center" target="_blank" ><u>chef Cliff Rome.</u></a></p><p>Gates’ suite of South Side properties have been the site of many spaces and ideas over the years. What started with a handful of rehabilitated buildings on Dorchester Avenue in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood in 2009 has expanded into a constellation of properties. Nearby, the Arts Bank on 67th Street, which houses the Johnson Publishing library, has long hovered between a public and private site, operating with sporadic public hours and programming.</p><div class="Enhancement" data-align-center> <div class="Enhancement-item" data-crop=""> <figure class="Figure"><a class="AnchorLink" id="image-480000" name="image-480000"></a> <picture data-crop="medium"> <source type="image/webp" width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6787a68/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3a03bc7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg 2x" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <source width="490" height="275" data-srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d9f489c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" srcset="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" /> <img class="Image" alt="THEASTERGATES-0921250072.jpg" srcset="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d9f489c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c317bac/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg 2x" width="490" height="275" data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d9f489c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/8192x4598+0+433/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fe0%2F81%2Fb4954ce04a88bcd415200e215abb%2Ftheastergates-0921250072.jpg" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=" > </picture> <div class="Figure-content"><figcaption class="Figure-caption"><p>Artist Theaster Gates, pictured here preparing for a 2025 exhibition at the Smart Museum of Art, has long envisioned a cultural corridor on the South Side.