Studio Office and Studio Commissioner

The Studio Office in the kulturwerk of the bbk berlin is the central contact point for all artists living in Berlin and looking for a studio–regardless of whether they are members of the bbk. We provide advice on finding a studio and holding on to existing studios.

The Studio Office has made a long-term commitment to securing spaces for the production of visual art in Berlin and to keeping them affordable for artists, even in the face of gentrification.

Contact

Atelierbüro im kulturwerk des bbk berlin
Köthener Straße 44, 10963 Berlin

e-mail: atelierbuero@bbk-kulturwerk.de

Consultation hours by telephone:

Tuesday 10 am - 1 pm and Thursday 1 - 4 pm

Team

Jana Burkhardt / Birgit Nowack / Anna Fiegen
phone: 030 230 899-20 / -22 / -23

Atelierbeaufragter: Martin Schwegmann,
phone: 0157-34873940 or 030 230 899-21
m.schwegmann@bbk-kulturwerk.de

15.03.2023 | "Finally a bit of animation!" Japan meets Berlin - exhibition and screening on March 31 an on April 1-2

The Media Workshop celebrates the farewell of Lioba von den Driesch, the contact to the Japanese artist Yasuto Yura, organizer of the independent film festival "VIDEO PARTY", and the new media lab with a screening and an exhibition. On display will be a wealth of animations of various kinds from Japan and Berlin.

05.07.2022 | rbb: Uferhallen in Moabit are about to undergo a big change | Martin Schwegmann in conversation

Martin Schwegmann im Gespräch - rbb abendschau

The Uferhallen in Moabit, a place for alternative art and culture, is facing a major upheaval. The entire area is to be rebuilt and surrounded by flats. The artists now fear for their prospects - because in other districts of the city, art locations have already irretrievably disappeared. In conversation: Martin Schwegmann, Studio Commissioner for Berlin. A contribution by Christian Titze.

08.11.2021 | NEW SUBSIDY DIRECTIVE for the studio rental program

We are pleased to inform you that the new subsidy directive for the studio rental programme came into force on 1 November 2021. The guideline was agreed between the Studio Office in the Kulturwerk of the bbk berlin and the Senate Department for Culture and Europe and replaces the previous guideline from 1993.

How to masterplan the creative city?

Besides concrete guidelines (master plans, white papers,...) for politics and planning of politics and administrations, we need a) a resilient civil society and b) trend-setting pilot projects in order to create sustainable structures beyond the political business cycle - this is the quintessence of my lecture in Bristol in October this year. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JV0MngSJCGs&feature=emb

ART CITY LAB 2 / new spaces for art

The studio commissioner and raumlaborberlin in cooperation with: Artprojekt & Gewobag under the patronage of: Katrin Lompscher, Senator for Urban Development and Housing: How can Berlin's artists be kept in the city? Central findings and demands of the publication:

Notification of the need of a studio and studio newsletter

Every two months, the studio newsletter provides information about studios and studio apartments currently offered by the Studio rental programme (financed by the Senate Cultural Administration's working space programme).

Studio offers

Here you will find studios from the Berlin Studio rental programme (financed by the Senate Cultural Administration's working space programme) as well as studios, studio apartments and other offers from throughout the region and the rest of Germany on the open market.

We wish you every success in finding a suitable space to produce your artwork in!

How to apply – application documents

The current call for applications and application process is only conducted digitally. Since November 11, 2020, you make use of an application portal. Applications can be made by all professional visual artists living in Berlin and who do not exceed the income limits (studio rental programme).

The studios and studio apartments will be allocated by an independent advisory board of artists and art experts according to the criteria of
a) professionalism and b) urgent need

Please be sure to plan sufficient time for the application process.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply for a studio? // What are the criteria? // What is my income? // What are the income limits? // Who decides on my application? // What do I need to know about rental contracts for studios? // What do I need to know about rental contracts for studio flats? // How do I get the WBS for studio flats?

Studio Advisory Committee

The independent Studio Advisory Board is appointed by Berlin Senate's Department for Culture and Europe for a term of two years. The majority of the members of the Studio Advisory Board are artists. It consists of nine voting members and up to nine representatives.

1993-2013: 20 years of the Berlin studio program

After the fall of the Wall, the professional association of visual artists (bbk berlin) established the first systematic studio support in Berlin — and in Germany as a whole. The protests of artists at the beginning of the ’90s led to: the creation of a non-profit studio office that advised artists in all administrative and political infrastructure matters, built up and administered transparent and fair allocation structures for publicly funded studio spaces, and an immediate program of rentals.

Urban Option Areas

"Urban Option Areas" - this is the name of a new study on the topic of public welfare-oriented real estate policy in Berlin, which was prepared by raumlaborberlin and the Studio Commissioner for Berlin with the support of the Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing.

White Paper I+II on studio funding

he White Paper I+II (2019+2021) are cooperatively developed catalogues of proposals to make concrete and constructive suggestions for the development of studio and workspace funding that is both secure in the long-term as well as affordable. The primary goal is to ensure Berlin's global significance as a location for the production of art in the long-term.

ART CITY LAB 2 / NEW SPACES FOR ART

How can it be ensured that Berlin's artists remain in the city? How does a housing association work with an initiative or a private developer? How do you close the gap between financial needs and funding programmes? How can places for art production have a positive effect on the neighbourhood? The Studio Commissioner for Berlin , Dr. Martin Schwegmann, and raumlaborberlin developed and discussed these questions together with the city-owned housing association Gewobag, the private developer Artprojekt and TTI in a cooperative process with artists, sustainability banks, cooperatives, Senate departments, members of parliament, scholars and planners.

ART CITY LAB / NEW SPACES FOR ART

Artistic production and the spaces available for this within cities have always played a valuable role in urbanization processes. Art City Lab takes Berlin as an example of such developments. After the Fall of the Berlin Wall, artists had great opportunities to occupy and claims vacant lots and houses, whereas at the present they are increasingly pushed out of the city.
Art City Lab examines and documents alternative architectural and organisational approaches to the creation of affordable studio space by analysing a variety of prefabricated building systems and how they can be combined, adapted, and condensed into new studio prototypes.

Initiative - IKOKA

The Berlin Initiative for Artistic Work Places, IKOKA, was founded for the preservation and development of places for artistic work in Berlin.

2020 ART STUDIOS Master Plan

The 2020 ART STUDIOS Master Plan was created to secure and create studios as workspaces for visual artists.