40 Years of Atelier Mondial

This year, Atelier Mondial is celebrating a milestone birthday! Switzerland’s oldest multidisciplinary exchange programme was launched in 1986 by the Christoph Merian Foundation (CMS) – and operated at that time under the name iaab: Internationales Atelier- und Austauschprogramm der Region Basel. The idea behind this initiative was to support artists from the Basel region by enabling them to spend time abroad, thereby providing fresh inspiration for their work. At the same time, artists from abroad, who spent several months in the artist-residency studios at St. Alban-Tal, were also intended to breathe new life into the local art scene.

Much has changed over the years: iaab has evolved into the multidisciplinary and trinational Atelier Mondial, with its headquarters and its own artist-residency studios at the Dreispitz. It is supported by the CMS, the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft and Solothurn, as well as the regions of South Baden and Alsace. The original idea behind the exchange has been preserved to this day, even though the focus is now more strongly on networking between the artist communities in the Tri-Regio and with the many partner organisations worldwide.

Atelier Mondial would like to express its heartfelt thanks to its funding bodies for their loyal commitment, which makes so much possible every year!