Finding Aid for Allen S. Weller Papers, 1860-1997 | University of Illinois Archives

Title: Allen S. Weller Papers, 1860-1997

ID: 12/1/20

Primary Creator: Weller, Allen Stuart (1907-1997)

Extent: 22.6 cubic feet

Arrangement: Alphabetical by subject and chronological thereunder

Subjects: American Sculpture, Art Education, Art History, Contemporary Arts Festival, Faculty Papers, Fine and Applied Arts, College of, Krannert Art Museum, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Taft, Lorado, 1860-1936

Formats/Genres: Papers

Languages: English

Papers of Allen Stuart Weller (1907-1997), Professor of the History of Art (1947-1997) and Dean of Fine and Applied Arts (1954-1971), include correspondence, reports, publications, news releases, maps, and photographs --relating to the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and its architectural design, financing, administration of programs, use of facilities and dedication, and Weller's extensive research on Lorado Taft. Weller's correspondents include Herman C. Krannert, David D. Henry, Max Abramovitz, Jack Pelatson, John Burrel and Richard Ogilvie. This series also contains material concerning the 1948-1953 Festival of Contemporary Arts; the Midwest College Art Conference; Krannert Art Museum; donations to Guilford College; the Abraham Rattner Portfolio Publication Fund and correspondence with Abraham and Esther Rattner and other artists and former students; papers, articles, and speeches; student papers; and voluminous research papers for his biographical studies on Lorado Taft including the unfinished manuscript, Lorado Taft: The Chicago Years; typescript transcripts of Taft's 1880-1885 and 1919 correspondence from trips to France, original L. Taft correspondence (1880-1936), and original L. Taft documents from the Lorado Taft Papers (Record Series 26/20/16).

Allen Stuart Weller (1907-1997) was born and grew up in Chicago, where his father was a professor of geology at the University of Chicago. He developed an interest in art as a child, eventually going on to earn his Ph.D. in Art History. Weller served in the Air Force in Italy during World War II, cataloging and overseeing the repatriation of stolen artwork. He joined the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1947, served as the chair of the Art Department from 1948 to 1954, the dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts from 1954 to 1971, and the director of the Krannert Art Museum from its founding in 1961 through 1964. Weller authored several books on art history, including one on Chicago sculptor Lorado Taft.

At UIUC, Weller was instrumental to the founding and design of the Krannert Art Museum. He also played an important role in the School of Art and Design's Festival of Contemporary Arts. Beginning in 1948 and held biennially until 1974, the Festival formed the basis of the Krannert Art Museum's collections and established the University as an art collecting institution. Under Weller's leadership, the Festival helped generate serious attention for contemporary art, lending institutional legitimacy to a wide variety of American artforms.

American Sculpture
Art Education
Art History
Contemporary Arts Festival
Faculty Papers
Fine and Applied Arts, College of
Krannert Art Museum
Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
Taft, Lorado, 1860-1936

Repository: University of Illinois Archives

Accruals: 7/10/73; 2/28/96; 11/25/96; 2/18/97; 1/14/1998; 6/30/1998; 6/29/1999; 2/16/

Other Note: 28 Pages

URL: https://files.archon.library.illinois.edu/uasfa/1201020.pdf

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