UNITED ARTS COUNCIL AND SERVICES:

From its inception the United Arts Council and Services has undergone many changes in title. Incorporated in March, 1954 as the St. Paul Council of Arts and Sciences, the organization later took the names: Saint Paul-Ramsey Arts and Science Council (1974-1980), The United Arts Fund (1980-1982), the Saint Paul-Ramsey United Arts Council (1983-1985), and United Arts (1986).

From 1949 to 1953 a community arts survey committee conducted studies and raised funds and public awareness to facilitate the formation of a central community arts program. After the St. Paul Council of Arts and Sciences was incorporated more funding was received from the St. Paul Junior League and the Louis and Maud Hill Family Foundation, as well as a public bond issue, enabling the St. Paul Council of Arts and Sciences to plan and construct an arts center building that would bring together all community arts organizations. The center, at Tenth and Cedar in St. Paul, was completed and dedicated in 1965. Since that time, the old Federal Courts Building (Landmark Center) was restored for cultural use and a new Science Museum of Minnesota facility was constructed across Wabasha Street from the arts center.

In 1986 the organization recognized that its activities, resources, and affiliate memberships were well beyond the confines of the St. Paul and Ramsey County geographic area. At that time, the board decided to purposefully extend its mission to the seven county metropolitan area and changed its name to reflect the expanded scope.

United Arts includes many major St. Paul cultural groups, including Community Programs in the Arts and Sciences (COMPAS), The Schubert Club, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Museum of Art, Science Museum of Minnesota, the Ordway Music Theater, and Minnesota Public Radio, as well as many Minneapolis organizations, including the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Theatre de la Jeune Lune, and the New Dance Ensemble. The organization has also included such now defunct organizations as the Chimera Theater and Opera Saint Paul.

Historical information was taken from the collection.

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Records include background information (1952-1974); minutes of the directors, executive committee, and affiliate executives (1954-1992); financial and development files (1957-1991); committee files (1961-1987); affiliate organization files (1937-1995); and subject files (1950-1995). They document the history of the association through several changes in name and scope: the St. Paul Council of Arts and Sciences (1954-1974), Saint Paul-Ramsey Arts and Science Council (1974-1980), the United Arts Fund (1980-1982), Saint Paul-Ramsey United Arts Council (1983-1985), and United Arts (1986).

Committee files detail the financial status, structure, and programs of each of the cultural groups comprising United Arts. Affiliate organization files contain correspondence, financial records, and related materials regarding eleven member organizations. Subject files include reports (1950-1985); publicity materials; information on the dedication of the new arts center building (1964-1965); files concerning United Arts' membership in the American Council for the Arts and the Minnesota Citizens for the Arts; and materials regarding the president's participation as a director of the United Way of the St. Paul Area.

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These documents are organized into the following sections:

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here.] United Arts Council and Services Organization Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: 14,853; 15,321

Processng Information:

Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, April 1993; Monica Manny Ralston, February 2000.

Catalog ID number: 990017295040104294

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The series contains a chronology of the St. Paul Council of Arts and Sciences (1949-1955); a brief printed history of the Council and its successors (1972); correspondence of Frank Marzitelli (1952-1954), a St. Paul councilman and cultural activist, detailing some of the early activities of the Council and its successors, and information on the organization's name changes and tax status (1973-1974).

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This series includes meeting minutes of the organization's board of directors, its executive committee, and the executives of its affiliate organizations. The minutes detail the activities of the organization and its affiliates and include committee and officer reports, financial reports, agenda discussion items, and related materials. Also included are guidelines for affiliate membership; rosters listing board, committee, and staff members; organizational manuals that include the organization's articles of incorporation and bylaws; and personnel policies.

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The records in this series include budgets, financial statements and audits, funding proposals, materials from fund raising drives, development programs, and telemarketing service proposals. The series also includes correspondence and minutes of the organization's budget committee.

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The Committee Files document the work of various standing and ad hoc bodies. The most extensive of these files are those of the allocations committee which acts on the requests for funding from affiliate members and which contain information on each affiliate's financial status, officers and participants, program plans, past activities, and related information for fiscal years 1980-1987 and 1989. Other notable committees include the nominating committee and an ad hoc committee for the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Additional information concerning the acitivites of the various committees is included within the minutes of the board of directors. Minutes of the budget committee are included within the series of Financial and Development Files.

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The Affiliate Organization Files contain correspondence, minutes, financial records, programs and other materials on the activities of eleven member organizations, particularly the Minnesota Museum of Art, Minnesota Public Radio, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the St. Paul Civic Opera Association.

Files pertaining to the Minnesota Museum of Art trace the changes of that group from the St. Paul Gallery of Art, with galleries at 476 Summit Avenue, to the St. Paul Arts Center, to the Minnesota Museum of Art with galleries in the Jemne Building and Landmark Center.

The St. Paul Civic Opera Association was founded in 1933 and for many years was an active part of St. Paul's cultural life. In later years the association sponsored a renowned series of pop concerts. The association has changed its name from the St. Paul Civic Opera Association to the Saint Paul Opera Association, and finally to Opera Saint Paul.

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This series includes files regarding the membership of United Arts in the American Council for the Arts and in the Minnesota Citizens for the Arts. Also included are materials regarding the United Way of the St. Paul Area kept by Frank Marzitelli while he was a member of their board of directors. A small set of files pertains to the dedication of the Council's first art center building at Cedar and Tenth in St. Paul. Management studies, miscellaneous reports and proposals relating to cultural activities, publicity materials, and news clippings are also included. Of particular interest is a copy of the community arts survey (October 1950) conducted by Community Research Associates of New York with representatives from various St. Paul cultural organizations, educational institutions, libraries, churches, youth and other agencies, newspapers, and radio stations. This survey laid the foundation for the eventual formation of the St. Paul Arts and Sciences Council in 1954.

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The organization's annual reports are available in the Minnesota Historical Society serials collection.

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Arts -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area -- Finance.

Arts -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area -- Societies, etc.

Art museums -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Arts facilities -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Arts publicity -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

Arts surveys -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Chamber music groups -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Fund raising -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

Historic buildings -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Museums -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Musical groups -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

Opera companies -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Science museums -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul.

Theaters -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

Arts fund raising -- Minnesota -- Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.

Persons:

Marzitelli, Frank D., 1914- .

Organizations:

Chimera Theatre (Saint Paul, Minn.).

COMPAS (organization).

Graywolf Press.

Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies.

Illusion Theater (Minneapolis, Minn.).

Landmark Center.

Minnesota Museum of Art.

Minnesota Public Radio.

Ordway Music Theatre (Saint Paul, Minn.).

Resources and Counseling for the Arts (Organization : Saint Paul, Minn.).

Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Saint Paul Gallery of Art.

Saint Paul-Ramsey United Arts Council.

Schubert Club (Saint Paul, Minn.).

Science Museum of Minnesota.

St. Paul Council of Arts and Sciences.

St. Paul-Ramsey Arts and Sciences Council (Minn.).

United Arts (Saint Paul, Minn.).

United Arts Fund (Saint Paul, Minn.).

Zenon Dance Company (Minneapolis, Minn.).

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