Who Created the first ATC?

Not me, The Gutter Artist. But I love making them. This is one of 9 that I created in 2004.


#2, Laughter



Answer: The Artist M.V. Stirnemann

In the late 20^th Century, the artist M. Vänçi Stirnemann is credited with having the "first" Artist Trading Card (ATC) exhibition, where he displayed 1,200 cards he had produced at his INK.art&text bookstore/gallery in Zürich, Switzerland, April 23-May 17, 1997. Stirnemann, on the last day of the show, allowed anyone who created a hand-made ATC to trade it for any card displayed in the show. In collaboration with Cat Schick, he has been promoting the idea ever since. In September 1997, Don Mabie (a.k.a., Chuck Stake) brought the first ATC Session to Calgary, Canada, at the New Gallery. In the last 10 years, ATC’s sessions spread world wide, and many trading groups can be found on the web. Our group in Lyons, Colorado, was started in 2003, and meets every third Saturday, at the Lyons Depot Library at 3:30 p.m.