Münster

Social Engagement

Promoting diversity in all its forms is very important to BASF Coatings. As a company that centers around research and innovation, we are mainly committed to promoting science education. This entails getting children and young people interested in science, as well as identifying and enabling their individual careers.

Further elements of our engagement

Museum of Lacquer Art

Our passion for lacquer goes far beyond our products. In order to inspire enthusiasm for this glossy material and its long tradition in the world of art, we opened the Museum of Lacquer Art in Münster in 1993. Our museum is all about the many ways in which lacquer can be used, and the history of lacquer art.

The cultural institution run by BASF in Münster is home to a unique collection of more than 2,000 items spanning two millennia and places as diverse as East Asia, Europe and the Islamic world. A variety of special exhibitions highlight and showcase historic and contemporary aspects of lacquer art. The museum also hosts concerts, readings, educational programs and other events.

Visit our Museum of Lacquer Art

Eingangsbereich des Museums für Lackkunst
Kunstwerk "Peach" von Nakata Mayu

New Japanese lacquer art from Hokuriku

The Museum of Lacquer Art is exhibiting around 50 items from eight lacquer artists from Hokuriku in a special exhibition running from June 16 to September 17, 2023. Most of the artists are graduates of the Kanazawa College of Art or trained at the famous institute for lacquer art in Wajima.

Find out more about our special exhibition here

 

Kinder vor dem Museum für Lackkunst

Free tours for children

What happens during a traditional tea ceremony and why are dragons considered lucky in Asia? The Museum of Lacquer Art offers a free tour once a month for children aged 6 to 12 years. Lasting around 70 minutes, the interactive tours start at 3:00 p.m.

Young explorers are taken on a journey through the worlds of China and Japan, steeped in legend and rich in history. They get to know symbols and characters that tell myths and stories, and immerse themselves in the culture of East Asia by reenacting a traditional tea ceremony. Lastly, they make their own souvenir using origami, the Japanese art of paper folding.

Please book by telephone on +49 (0)251 41851-22 (Tuesday to Sunday, 12:00 to 6:00 p.m.) or by email at MuseumLack@basf.com. The next tours will take place September 30, October 14, November 11 and December 9, 2023.

We have a passion for paint that goes far beyond the product. In order to infuse others with our enthusiasm for the glossy material and its long history, we opened the Museum of Lacquer Art in Münster in 1993.

Eingangsbereich des Museums für Lackkunst

At our Museum of Lacquer Art, everything is devoted to the origins and the wide-ranging applications of lacquer. BASF's cultural institution in Münster is home to a globally unique collection from East Asia, Europe and the Islamic world with over 2,000 objects from two millennia. In its varied special exhibits, the museum highlights historic and contemporary aspects of lacquer art. The museum also regularly hosts jazz and classical concerts and an educational program.

 

Looking out for our neighbors is the key to living together in harmony. That's why we are actively involved in a number of projects in the vicinity our of site, ranging from support for senior citizens by our trainees to repairing weather-related damage to Münster's green belt, the "Promenade".

Every two years, Münster's volunteer center sponsors the "ZeitStifteTag" ("Day for donating time") in which the trainees spend a day volunteering for a good cause. For instance, our trainees actively supported the Münsterland nature conservation association with rakes and shovels and visited the zoo with the residents of the mission sisters' senior center. They also supported the Studiowelle Hiltrup hospital radio station. In cooperation with the St. Clemens senior day center in Münster-Hiltrup, our trainees used their artistic skills to build and decorate birdhouses and outfit them with cute signs.

 

Together we're stronger. That's why we joined the “Industriegemeinschaft Münster” association. Coordinated by the North Westphalian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), companies from various industrial sectors located in Münster work together in the region.

Example from 2015

For example, together with 24 other companies and private individuals, we donated 60 linden trees to repair the damage along the Münster "Promenade" caused by storms in 2014.

We offer regular events and public activities to provide the general public with insights into our company, our employees and our products. To this end, in summer of 2015, the industry association in Münster invited the public to its "In|du|strie-Tag" day under the motto "industry made on your front doorstep". The highlight of the information day was the first industry dragon boat cup, with participation by 33 teams from different companies, including our "Coatings Dragon" team.

Sports create a basis for health, promote team spirit and are an important way to offset sedentary activities. We therefore aim to convey the importance of exercise and sports to children and young people.

Even the youngest children know how to swipe, which is why more and more young children are playing with tablets and smartphones. But too often, that means that they don't get enough exercise. The BASF school triathlon that takes place every year in Münster aims to help children and young adults enjoy exercise. The sponsors and promoters of the sporting event are the elementary and secondary schools in Münster, the "Wasser + Freizeit" swimming club, the City of Münster, BASF and the TuS Hiltrup athletic club.

For many of our employees and their families, along with children and young adults from the neighborhood, the TuS Hiltrup athletic club is their "athletic home". Children and young adults in particular experience the joy of participating in sports there. For this reason, we have supported Münster's largest athletic club since 1981 as a partner and sponsor.