FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
RE: ARTIST TRADING CARDS
- WHO STARTED THE ARTIST TRADING CARDS PROJECT AND WHAT IS THE IDEA?
m.vänçi stirnemann started the Artist Trading Card (ATC) project in april 1997 by showing 1200 ATCs at INK.art&text in zürich, switzerland. the idea is that if you want a card you have to trade one of your own cards - i.e. you have to produce your own cards first. the people who came to this show were fascinated and started to trade - so for the finissage of the show we (mvs & cat schick) organized a trading session - and ever since it’s been the last saturday of every month. chuck stake aka don mabie attended one of the first trading days in zürich and brought the idea to calgary, canada.
the basic idea is the personal contact and trade (see sessions), but it is possible to trade by mail (or by participating in the COPY-LEFT editions. i stopped the COPY-LEFT editions after having published 333 editions).
- WHAT TYPES OF ART ARE ACCEPTED?
all types of art are accepted, all techniques (paintings, drawings, collages, photographs, computer generated works, rubberstamp works, mixed media, found images, assemblages, etc.). only rule is the size: 64 x 89 mm or 2 ½ x 3 ½ inches.
there is no limit to the number of cards you can make.
- CAN I PRINT EDITIONS OF DIGITALLY CREATED ATC (woodblock prints, photo, copy-art, computer generated ATC)?
you can do so in small numbers if you number them on the back (1 of 5; 1/5). usually traders prefer 'originals' though.
- ARE THE CARDS TO BE LAMINATED?
no. the cards don’t have to be laminated nor in single sleeves. trade or send the cards when you think they are finished.
- CAN I RE-TRADE OTHER PEOPLES ATC FROM MY COLLECTION?
"I have a question. In the real life events you set up, artists were trading their own art initially. But what about after a while? Did they actually trade other people's cards? As they are called "trading" that's like the perfect thing to do, one collects and then trades. Their own or other people's. Am I right?" Nina Spolar
of course you can trade ATC you got in previous trades. at the Trading Sessions i attended it hardly ever happens. in the zurich group (long time ago) one person decided that his collection should contain exactly 100 ATC, so after having traded 100 ATC of his own he started to trade what he got in his collection.
RE: ARTIST TRADING CARD SESSIONS
- WHO CAN ORGANIZE TRADING SESSIONS?
anybody can organize trading sessions. they should be held on a regular basis. for example trading sessions take place in calgary (since september 1997) and zürich (started may 1997) every last saturday of the month.
to coordinate the world wide activities we appreciate information about the trading sessions.
there are trading days all over the world.
https://www.artist-trading-cards.ch/trading-sessions-and-exhibitions/
- HOW DO I ORGANIZE AN ARTIST TRADING CARDS SESSION?
publish (posters, invitations) date and place of your choice, the size of the cards and trade! experience shows that at the beginning only few people will participate but if you hold your session on a regular basis the word spreads fast and more and more people will attend the sessions.
access to trading sessions must be free.
RE: ONLINE TRADES
Q: "Are you planning to do some mail trading or all face to face? I think it would be great if this group is willing to do mail trades. We could post albums under photos and exchange addresses in personal messages."
A: I am not planning to do mail trading via face book – i do not think that it is the right forum to do so – and i prefer the face to face trade : that is the basic idea of ATC. The Trading Sessions, the personal contact is the basic performance of ATC. I mostly trade face to face or by mail with persons i know personally and met berfore.
There are exceptions like the ATC Travelling Archive which i organize for ATC shows – for the Travelling Archive you can send in ATC.
RE: ARTIST TRADING CARDS : THE TRAVELLING ARCHIVE
THE ATC ARCHIVE
we are building and running a permanent ATC exhibition archive which serves as a core/stock for further exhibition-performances. the Trading Session is still the main purpose of the “ATC - a cultural collaborative performance project” – shows are an ‘extra’, helping people to see the wide range of creativity involved in this project and to get involved in Trading Sessions.
the ATCs we get from you for the archive will not be returned: they will become part of the ATC archive (an ongoing project) and will be the core for further shows (the travelling archive exhibition).
the idea is that whoever wants to exhibit ATCs can ask for the travelling archive and will get a proposal for a show from our side.
the archive is an ongoing project (exhibition-performance in progress) so you can submit your ATCs whenever you want. there is no deadline.
to be part in the ATCTA: send in up to 3 sleeves - 9, 18 or 27 different ATCs – size: 64 X 89 mm; 2 ½ X 3 ½ inches, sign and date on the back. you can send in new ATCs at any time and for each new show. some participants have more than 27 ATCs in the ATCTA by now - and that is just fine!