Fra Angelico Art Foundation Records

Collection

Identifier: PA-.09.02-2D-.11

Scope and Contents

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This collection documents the institutional history and administration of the Fra Angelico Art Foundation from its beginning in 1986 through its closure in 2009. Records include chronologies summarizing the foundation's history, incorporation documents dating from 1993 to 1995, and board minutes.

Materials relating to public programming are represented by files on events and exhibitions spanning 1987 to 2004, and by runs of "The Palette," the foundation's newsletter, from 1993 to 2001. Correspondence forms a significant portion of the collection and is arranged both by subject and chronologically, including art ownership, the publication of "Art and the Word of God", and general correspondence covering 1986 to 2009. This correspondence documents relationships with artists, patrons, and the Province of St. Albert the Great, as well as the administrative concerns of the foundation over its lifespan.

Financial records document the fiscal operations of the foundation from 1987-1994. Media materials relating to the foundation's activities and a folder of ephemera contains printed matter such as programs, invitations, or promotional materials round out the collection.

The collection is housed in one box and provides a record of the Fr. Vincent Zarlenga's founding vision, the exhibition and publication activities, its connection with the artistic communities in Chicago, and its eventual closure in 2009 following Fr. Vincent's declining health.

Dates

Creation: 1986-2009

Conditions Governing Access

Material from this Collection may only be accessed upon consultation and written permission from the Provincial.

Conditions Governing Use

Some materials might require the use of audiovisual materials. Any AV materials must be viewed using equipment within the archive. Contact the archivist prior to visiting.

Biographical / Historical

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The Angelico Fra Art Foundation was founded in 1988 by Fr. Vincent Zarlenga, OP, to celebrate the legacy of Fra Angelico, the celebrated Italian Renaissance painter and Dominican friar, and to inspire a new generation of sacred artists. The foundation housed a collection of antique artworks as well as pieces by contemporary Catholic artists including both Fr. Vincent and Fr. Rinaldo Zarlenga, OP. Housed within the former St. Thomas Aquinas Priory in River Forest, Illinois, the foundation regularly hosted events until Fr. Vincent's declining health led to his departure from leadership. The foundation closed in 2009.

Fr. Rinaldo Zarlenga, OP, born in Pietrabbondante, Italy in 1919, entered the Dominican Order and received the religious name Angelico in honor of the Renaissance painter and friar Fra Angelico. After extensive theological and artistic training in Rome, including study at the Institute "Beato Angelico" for Religious Art and the National Academy "San Luca," he came to the United States in 1949 to work in religious art. In 1957 he received permission to establish the Studio Fra Angelico for Religious Art at the Priory of St. Dominic and St. Thomas in River Forest, Illinois, envisioning it as a Dominican apostolate to the artistic community of Chicago. Over the following decades he produced religious artworks in wood, stained glass, paint, mosaic, and sculpture for churches and institutions throughout the Chicago area and beyond, gaining international recognition among church artists. He died in 1986 at the Priory of St. Dominic and St. Thomas.

His youngest brother, Fr. Vincent Zarlenga, OP, who had joined the Dominican Order after Rinaldo, founded the Fra Angelico Art Foundation in 1988 at the same River Forest priory to continue and formalize his brother's artistic and spiritual legacy. The foundation was named after Fra Angelico, the celebrated Italian Renaissance painter and Dominican friar, and was intended to provide a community of supporters and inspire a new generation of sacred artists in Chicago. The foundation housed a collection of antique artworks alongside works by contemporary Catholic artists, including both Fr. Vincent and Fr. Rinaldo. It regularly hosted exhibitions and events promoting sacred art until Fr. Vincent's declining health led to his departure from leadership. The foundation closed in 2009.

Extent

.4 Linear Feet (One box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Fra Angelico Art Foundation Records document the foundation, administration, and activities of the Fra Angelico Art Foundation, established in 1988 by Fr. Vincent Zarlenga, OP, at the Priory of St. Thomas Aquinas in River Forest, Illinois. Seeking to continue the artistic ministry of his brother and fellow Central Dominican Friar, Fr. Rinaldo (Angelico) Zarlenga, OP following his death, Fr. Vincent Zarlenga created the foundation to celebrate the legacy of the Dominican friar and Renaissance painter Fra Angelico and to encourage a new generation of sacred artists. The collection consists of incorporation records, board minutes, event and exhibition materials, newsletters, correspondence, financial records, media, and ephemera, spanning the foundation's existence from 1986 to 2009.