Title: Porter Butts Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1935-1975

Creator:

• Butts, Porter, 1903-

Call Number: Micro 831

Quantity: 2 reels of microfilm (35mm)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of Porter Butts, a former director of the Wisconsin Union of the University of Wisconsin in Madison primarily relating to research done for the Wisconsin Centennial Art Exhibit in 1936 and to his exhibit catalog Art in Wisconsin (1936). Included are biographical forms, correspondence, and clippings on Wisconsin artists active in the 1930s, together with exhibit publicity, additional related correspondence and a paper written by Butts in 1969 for an organization of college unions about the role of the college union in an era of campus unrest.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-micr0831

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1903	Born in Pana, Illinois.
1924	BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in English and Dramatic Literature.
1924-1926	Alumni recorder and publicity director for fund-raising campaigns for the Wisconsin Union at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
1927-1968	Director, Wisconsin Union.
1936	MA from the University of Wisconsin in Art History.
1936	Chairman, Wisconsin Centennial Art Exhibition and publication of Art in Wisconsin, the catalog of the exhibit.
1955	Recipient of Red Feather award for community service, including work with Madison Art Association, Madison Rotary Clubs, and the Community Welfare Council.
1965	Publication of Planning and Operating College Union Buildings.
1967	Publication of The State of the College Union Around the World.
1968	Director of Development, Wisconsin Union.
1971	Publication of The College Union Idea, a compilation of his speeches and writings, by the Association of College Unions-International.
1973	Emeritus Director and Professor of Social Education, Wisconsin Union.
1974	Recipient of honorary life membership in ACU. in recognition of 50 years of service and 25 years work as editor of its publications.

These Porter Butts Papers relate almost entirely to Butts' work as chairman of the Wisconsin Centennial Art Exhibition, consisting of research forms submitted by artists associated with the state in some way, clippings, exhibit brochures, and correspondence. As such, the collection is most useful as a biographical source for Wisconsin artists active during the 1930s. The biographical files are arranged alphabetically by the first letter of the artist's last name. Many of the files contained black and white glossies of the artists or their works: these have been separated to the Historical Society's Visual Materials collections.

Art in Wisconsin is available in the Historical Society Library. The remainder of the collection consists of exhibit publicity and planning material, some related correspondence arising from his ongoing interest in art, and a 1969 paper on the role of the college union in an era of campus unrest.

Most of the papers in the collection were presented to the Historical Society Museum in 1956 and transferred to the Archives Division in 1961 where they were incorporated for several years with the WPA Federal Art Project Records for Wisconsin (call number Mss 1). More recently Butts contributed some additional correspondence with Wisconsin artists, and at this time his papers were separately catalogued. Because of their deteriorated condition they were microfilmed and the originals discarded after filming. One carton of printed matter relating to his interest in campus unrest has been separated to the Library.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Porter Butts, Madison, Wisconsin, 1975-1977, with portions transferred via the Wisconsin Historical Society Museum. Accession Number: M75-529, M75-548, M75-595; M76-494; M77-509

Processing Information

Prepared for microfilming by Carolyn Mattern, 1980.

Reel   1 Frame   1	Publicity re 1936 exhibit
Reel   1 Frame   17	Miscellaneous planning material for 1936 exhibit
Reel   1 Frame   42	Miscellaneous correspondence derived from art exhibit, 1935-1975
	Biographical artists files
Reel   1 Frame   143	A-H
Reel   2 Frame   1	I-Z
Reel   2 Frame   1169	Miscellany, 1969