Barq’s Root Beer Collection Featured at Piedmont Art Museum

Join us for “Barq’s Root Beer: A History of Design” at Piedmont University’s Mason-Scharfenstein Museum of Art. The exhibition will be on view March 7-April 2. A public reception will be held March 7 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Introduced in 1898, Barq’s Root Beer originated in Biloxi, Mississippi. Edouard Barq, born in New Orleans, began experimenting with cordials and flavored soft drinks until moving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1898. There, he met and hired Jesse Louis Robinson as his apprentice. Robinson eventually moved to New Orleans and established his own soft drink business. 

In 1934, Barq perfected his root beer and branded it in a diamond-shouldered glass bottle. Robinson was given the exclusive rights to make the secret formula and distribute the product throughout Louisiana. The two enterprises differed in trade dress—Louisiana wore red, and Mississippi, blue. 

Barq’s Root Beer quickly became a cultural icon and part of the Gulf Coast culinary landscape. The Baton Rouge Barq’s holdings were sold to Coca-Cola in 2000 marking the end of an era. Today, Barq’s is the number one root beer in the world. 

The exhibition at Piedmont’s art museum will showcase objects with Barq’s logo from its earliest incarnation to its most recent rebranding in 2012. Piedmont’s exhibition will feature selections from collector Daniel Griffis, who has one of the nation’s most comprehensive collections of Barq’s design objects. 

This exhibition is guest-curated by Professor Santanu Majumdar, Chair of the Piedmont University Department of Art. It corresponds to his creation of an original documentary on the history of Barq’s Root Beer. 

The MSMA is located at 567 Georgia Street, Demorest, GA 30535. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 12 noon to 5 p.m.. For more information, please contact Rebecca Brantley at rbrantley@piedmont.edu.

For more information on fine arts events at Piedmont, visit here.

For more information about Barq’s, contact Veni Harlan, (225) 978-3624 or  veniharlan@mac.com