 In 1978, Piene was commissioned by the Smithsonian Art Collectors Program to create a print to benefit the educational and cultural programs of the Smithsonian Associates.The print was to commemorate a Washington DC festival much like the 1977 exhibition in Kassel.Three lithographs resulted, all titled, "Centerbeam", one of which hung in the exhibition, "Graphic Eloquence", in the S. Dillon Ripley Center on the National Mall.