1981: Swarming the Smithsonian

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Poster for The Grand Beehive Exhibition at the Renwick Gallery. Smithsonian Institution Archives, 1982.

The Renwick Gallery of the then National Museum of American Art Smithsonian Institution (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum) displayed The Grand Beehive from April 24, 1981 through November 8, 1981.

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Clipping the San Juan Record. Newspapers.com.

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In celebration of the opening, the gallery held a special preview event for Washington D.C. “VIPs,” Church officials, and Utah politicians. The San Juan Record reported (see the clipping to the right) that over 600 people attended the event. Attendees enjoyed such items as specially produced creme soda from Beehive Beverages, beehive-shaped cookies from Mrs. Backer's Pastry, and Snelgrove's molded beehive ice cream, all straight from Utah.

Like in Utah, the exhibit proved successful. Hank Burchard of the Washington Post described the exhibit as "always intriguing and occasionally stunning" and that "some [pieces] have real power."

Renwick Beehive Gala

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Bottle of Soda from Beehive Beverages. Utah State Archives, 2002.

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Beehive Beverages Shipping Crate. University of Utah Press, 1980.

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Beehive Cake from Mrs. Backer's Pastry Shop. University of Utah Press, 1980.

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Molded Beehive Ice Cream from Snelgrove's. University of Utah Press, 1980.