2011
National Museum of African American History and Culture
In April 2011, the Smithsonian’s NMAAHC in Washington acquired the author’s research archives for “The Real Pepsi Challenge.” It was a 2½-year process. The collection comprises about 120 original items, including 12 of the 13 Pepsi ads that these special-markets pioneers ran in Ebony in the 1940s, plus 35 reproductions on newsprint of the Leaders in Their Fields newspaper ad campaign and about a dozen newspaper columns by Lillian Scott following “suave Ed Boyd” and his good-looking Pepsi team. Other items include the private papers of another 1940s Pepsi intern, Philip Kane, and a 1948 profile of the Boyd team written by former NYC adman Andy Hirschorn for a trade publication.
2008
Queens Museum of Art
In May 2008, the world-class Queens museum, located in the original United Nations building, opened an exhibition based on “The Real Pepsi Challenge,” with Stephanie Capparell as guest curator. The exhibit included re-enactments of radio interviews with the interns, a “race film” festival, a lecture by Capparell, a panel discussion, a children’s workshop for jingle-writing and other features. The popular show was extended.
Take a look at some of exhibit: