Atelier Mondial

What Atelier Mondial does

Atelier Mondial is an international artist exchange and residency program operated as a non-profit initiative of the Christoph Merian Foundation (CMS) in Basel, Switzerland. Founded in 1986 under its original name IAAB (Internationales Atelier- und Austauschprogramm der Region Basel), the program manages studio grants, travel grants, and research grants for artists from the trinational Dreiländereck region encompassing Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, and Solothurn (Switzerland), Southern Baden/Freiburg (Germany), and Alsace (France). It serves individual visual artists, sculptors, writers, translators, dancers, performing artists, fashion and textile designers, and curators by providing them with international studio residencies, living expense support, and access to a global partner network.

The program's core offerings include Studio Grants (Atelier Stipendium) at international partner locations, Travel Grants (Reisestipendium) for performing artists, Research Grants for cultural mediators, dedicated Literature Residencies at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, and Fashion & Textile Residencies at Museo Textil de Oaxaca. The technical infrastructure consists of seven managed studios at its Freilager-Platz 9 headquarters in the Dreispitz cultural district of Basel (five large 85m² living ateliers, two small 40m² studioettes, plus the 82m² Cuisine Mondiale communal kitchen and 135m² Salon Mondial exhibition space), supplemented by partner-managed studios in Freiburg, Mulhouse, and 55+ international cities across five continents. Applications are processed through the SlideRoom online platform.

Atelier Mondial does not generate commercial revenue; it is funded through annual financial contributions from the Christoph Merian Foundation (which serves as project manager), the Cantons of Basel-City, Basel-Country, and Solothurn, the City of Freiburg im Breisgau, and the Alsace region (represented by Kunsthalle Mulhouse), with additional co-funding from Pro Helvetia for incoming artists from specific regions. The organization employs a lean team of approximately five staff, led by Director Dr. Alexandra Stäheli, and operates an annual open-call application cycle launched each May for the following year's grants. The program's go-to-market is event-driven, structured around reciprocal exchange agreements with international partner institutions rather than traditional sales channels.

Name

Atelier Mondial

Legal name

Atelier Mondial (operated by Christoph Merian Stiftung)

Website

https://ateliermondial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Atelier Mondial is a non-profit international artist exchange program operated by the Christoph Merian Foundation in Basel, Switzerland. It provides studio grants, travel grants, and research residencies to artists from the trinational Basel-Freiburg-Mulhouse region across a 55+ city global partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Münchenstein/Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Atelier Mondial is funded through annual financial contributions from supporting institutions including Christoph Merian Foundation (project management), Canton of Basel-City, Canton of Basel-Country, Canton of Solothurn, City of Freiburg im Breisgau, and Alsace region.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Atelier Mondial is an international artist exchange and residency program that awards studio grants, travel grants, and research grants to artists and cultural professionals from the Basel region, Southern Baden, and Alsace. It manages seven studios at its Basel headquarters (Freilager-Platz 9) and coordinates outgoing residencies at 55+ international partner locations including Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Taipei, Yerevan, Kinshasa, and Oaxaca. The program is operated under the Christoph Merian Stiftung and funded by multiple cantons, cities, and partner foundations.

Product overview

Atelier Mondial operates as an international artist exchange and residency program managed by the Christoph Merian Foundation. The offering comprises studio grants (Atelier Stipendium), travel grants (Reisestipendium), and research grants for artists and cultural professionals from the Basel-Solothurn-Basel Country region, Southern Baden, and Alsace. The program manages incoming residency studios in Basel (5 large and 2 small living studios, plus Salon Mondial exhibition space and Cuisine Mondiale communal kitchen), and coordinates outgoing residencies at partner institutions in Paris, Berlin, Tokyo, Taipei, Yerevan, Kinshasa, Oaxaca, Freiburg, Mulhouse, and Belgrade. Literature residencies are offered separately at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris for writers and translators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Studio Grants (Atelier Stipendium) Studio residency grants placing Basel-region, Southern Baden, and Alsace artists at international partner institutions with living-expense support, partner-hosted live/work studios, and access to global cultural networks.
• Travel Grants (Reisestipendium) Travel grants that fund international project travel and execution for choreographers, dancers, and performance artists from the trinational catchment, without requiring a fixed residency placement.
• Research Grants Research and travel grants supporting international research, curatorial project development, and cross-cultural exchange for exhibition curators, art critics, and cultural educators across all disciplines.
• Literature Residencies (Schriftstellerresidenz) Three-month Writer-in-Residence program at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris for German-language authors and literary translators from the Basel/Freiburg region.
• Fashion & Textile Residencies Six-month (July-December) studio grants for fashion and textile designers from the Basel region at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca in Mexico, with workshop access, accommodation in the Jalatlaco district, and international textile-industry networking.
• Basel Studios (Incoming Residency) Seven in-house studios at Freilager-Platz 9 in Basel — five large live/work studios (85m²) and two small studioettes (40m²) — together with the 135m² Salon Mondial exhibition space and 82m² Cuisine Mondiale communal kitchen, available to international guest artists selected by partner institutions.
• Partner Network Studios Reciprocal partner-hosted studios available to outgoing Atelier Mondial artists, including Freiburg (6 months, January-June), Mulhouse (4 months, April-July), Paris Cité Internationale des Arts (12 or 6 months), Berlin Wiesenstrasse 29 (2x6 months), Tokyo via TOKAS (3 months), Taipei via AIR Taipei at Treasure Hill (3 months), Yerevan via KulturDialog Armenia (6 months), Kinshasa via Kin ArtStudio (3 months), Oaxaca via Museo Textil de Oaxaca (6 months), and Belgrade SKK-Atelier (4 months).

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Christoph Merian Foundation (CMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject management and founding organization of Atelier Mondial since 1986. Provides overall governance, staffing, and strategic direction for the international arts exchange program.
• Canton of Basel-CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore supporting canton providing annual financial contribution and political support for the trinational artist exchange program.
• Canton of Basel-CountrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore supporting canton providing annual financial contribution to the artist residency program.
• Canton of SolothurnmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting canton since 2016, providing annual financial contribution to expand program reach.
• City of Freiburg im BreisgaumajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting municipality since 2004, providing studio facilities (Villa Mitscherlich) and financial contribution.
• Alsace Region (Grand Est)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting region since 2013, represented by Kunsthalle Mulhouse, enabling trinational program coverage.
• Kunsthalle MulhousemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresents Alsace region in program; provides studio facilities at motoco atelier for incoming artists.
• Pro HelvetiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss Arts Council providing funding for guest artists from India, China, Russia, South Africa, and South America.
• TOKAS (Tokyo Wondersite)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArt platform co-founded by City of Tokyo in 2001; provides studio facilities for Atelier Mondial artists in Tokyo (January-March).
• Kin ArtStudio (KAS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded 2011 by visual artist Vitshois Mwilambwe Bondo; provides studio facilities for Atelier Mondial artists in Kinshasa (July-September).
• Arts-in-Residence Taipei (AIR Taipei)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides facilities at Treasure Hill Artist Village (THAV) for Atelier Mondial artists in Taipei (September-November).
• Museo Textil de OaxacamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Atelier Mondial for fashion & textile residencies in Oaxaca (July-December); provides workshop access and cultural networking.
• Stiftung KulturDialog ArmeniamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation providing studio facilities for Atelier Mondial artists in Yerevan (July-December); coordinates access to print studio in Bjurakan.
• Cité Internationale des Arts, ParismajorStrategic or Co-development Partner325 studios used by 55 partner countries; provides sculpture studio and residential studio for Atelier Mondial artists in Paris.
• Swiss Conference of Cities for Culture (SKK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerManages Belgrade SKK-Atelier for Atelier Mondial artists (December 2027 - March 2028); operated by Verein Atelier Belgrad.
• Wiesenstrasse 29 eG CooperativemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist cooperative managing studio building in Berlin Wedding; Atelier Mondial studio for artists (January-June, July-December).
• Pro Helvetia JohannesburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funds incoming artists from South Africa through Pro Helvetia Johannesburg office.
• Conseil des arts et des lettres du QuébecminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for incoming artist from Montreal, Canada.
• Literaturehaus Basel and FreiburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner for thematic projects with literary focus.
• Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst (HGK) BaselminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation partner in Dreispitz cultural district; neighboring institution to Atelier Mondial headquarters.
• Haus für elektronische Künste (HEK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerElectronic arts institution neighboring Atelier Mondial in Dreispitz district.
• Pro Helvetia AmericasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funds incoming artists from South America through Pro Helvetia office.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Triangle Network: International network of artist residencies and exchanges founded by the late Robert Atkins; operates a comparable reciprocal residency model with member organisations on multiple continents.
• Akademie Schloss Solitude: Stuttgart-based international artist residency offering stipended residencies across visual arts, literature, dance, music and curatorial work; closely comparable multi-disciplinary European residency model with similar public-funder base.
• Yaddo: Historic artist residency in Saratoga Springs, New York, offering multi-week residencies to invited artists across disciplines; closely comparable multi-disciplinary residency model serving international creative professionals.
• MacDowell: One of the oldest U.S. artist residencies (since 1907), granting residencies to writers, visual artists and composers; comparable multi-disciplinary residency model serving international creative professionals at no cost to residents.
• Kin ArtStudio: Kinshasa-based artist residency founded by Vitshois Mwilambwe Bondo offering 5 studios and a 500 m² workshop; Atelier Mondial's African partner providing comparable residency infrastructure in Central Africa.
• Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts: Omaha-based residency and exhibition programme providing studio residencies to international artists; comparable artist-residency-with-public-funding model serving emerging and established artists.
• Arts-in-Residence Taipei (Treasure Hill): Taipei-based residency programme at Treasure Hill Artist Village; mutual partner of Atelier Mondial hosting Basel-region artists in a comparable international studio residency model.
• Cité Internationale des Arts: Paris-based residency complex with 325 studios used by 55 partner countries; Atelier Mondial sends German-language authors and visual artists to its Paris Writer-in-Residence and sculpture studio programs, and the organisations operate as mutual partners.
• TOKAS (Tokyo Wondersite): Tokyo Art-platform residency co-founded by the City of Tokyo in 2001; hosts Atelier Mondial outgoing artists in Sumida/Hongo districts and operates a comparable public-funded international residency exchange.

Broad incumbents

• Pro Helvetia – Swiss Arts Council: Swiss federal arts funding body that co-funds several Atelier Mondial residencies and operates its own international exchange and residency programmes; broader in scope but overlapping beneficiary base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ateliermondialinternationa7371
• Facebookfacebook.com/Atelier-Mondial-International-Arts-Exchange-Program-1400443766939447
• Instagraminstagram.com/ateliermondialart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atelier-mondial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atelier Mondial