ATC's, ACEO's & My Matted Minis

Matted Minis

11/11/21

What are ATCs & ACEOs

ATCs and ACEOs are miniature scale works of art, always measuring 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches.

ATC's are "Artist Trading Cards" these are not meant for sale, they are created for the intent of trading with other artists. ACEOs are "Art Cards, Editions, and Originals" and they are created with the intent to sell.

ATCs are shown in museums and special exhibitions usually accompanied by a trading session. ACEOs are offered directly by artists, sold on auction sites and collected privately.

Miniatures or art cards were painted and sold as early as the 16th century and about a century later, they were used for advertising in Europe.

By the 1960's baseball cards were introduced and the cards were standardized to a size of 2-1/2” x 3-1/2” , which is still in effect today.

In 1997 artist M. Vanci Stirnemann of Zurich, created and exhibited 1200 cards and encouraged people to trade their own cards for his.

Shortly after Stirnemann's exhibit, Canadian artist Don Mabie adopted the idea and showed artist trading cards at the Alberta College of Art and Design. In September 1997, a trading session was organized at the New Gallery in Calgary. Today, there are regular trading sessions throughout Europe, Canada, the US and Australia.

In 2004, Lisa Luree organized the first ATCs offshoot on eBay. To circumvent intellectual property rights, she called it "Art Cards, Editions and Originals" (ACEOs).

My Matted Minis

My Matted Minis are a bit of a hybrid. Because I offer them for sale as my Matted Minis, they're ACEOs . However, they often show up as little 'thank you' goodies inside the shipment of a purchased art piece.

As a member of RFAA, I participate in Chattahoochee Nature Centers annual Butterfly Festival where, members of RFAA contribute butterfly ATC's to give away at the festival. For the last 2 years I've painted over 100 butterfly ATC's for the event.