The Cantonal Bank of Berne and the Zentrum Paul Klee

Commitment to Training Sommerakademie
Back in 2002, when the founders of the Zentrum Paul Klee were looking for partners and approached the Berner Kantonalbank AG (BEKB | BCBE), they quickly found their common denominator; the promotion of knowledge and teaching/skills. On the one side was an institution whose goal was to be a place of research and learning and of encounters and discussion. On the other side, there was a company that founds a large part of its long term business goals on the professional training of its employees, that trains a quarter of all of the canton of Berne’s apprentices in the banking sector and is also engaged outside the company in an outstanding training programme in the region Espace Mittelland.

A First Class Opportunity for Further Education
The Zentrum Paul Klee and the BEKB | BCBE had found common ground from the start, and so the idea of the Sommerakademie began to take shape. The aim was and is to offer artists a first class opportunity for learning, while at the same time promoting art education to the public.
By committing to the project, the BEKB | BCBE aimed to ensure a ten-year run of the Sommerakademie. In 2005 the Sommerakademie was officially opened and the first academy was held in 2006.

From Theory to Practice
During a ten-day postgraduate programme, twelve artists are given the possibility to engage in critical discussions on artistic practice, lead by renowned international speakers. The selection of participants is based on specific qualifications. The Sommerakademie has become a vibrant platform for teaching and a hotspot of local and international cultural exchange.

Commitment as a Training Bank
The Zentrum Paul Klee is widely supported by the city and canton of Berne and has international renown as a centre of excellence, providing the perfect premise for a broad-ranging use of the training and further education on offer. The foundation of the BEKB | BCBE’s commitment is based on the goals and visions of the Maurice E. and Martha Müller Foundation and the Foundation Zentrum Paul Klee. It has entered into a commitment that reflects the BEKB | BCBE’s importance as a training bank and underlines their close customer relations. The Sommerakademie aims to bring people together, enable the transfer of knowledge and to awaken and strengthen interest in culture and art.