Vorwerkstift is an Artist-Residency located in a historical building in the heart of Hamburg.
The history of the building dates back to the 19th Century. But the place, as the role it has today, begun in the 1980s. It had been working as a residential home for the elderly, and stood empty afterwards. Meanwhile, a group of artists squatted an old fire station in Billstedt to build artist studios and a residence space. The city suggested using the building of the Vorwerkstift instead, but under the condition that a partner institution be funded to organize it. The Stiftung Freiraum e.V. was funded from members belonging to the Patriotische Gessellschaft, an institution funding many art projects and institutions in the city.
Today, it works as an exhibition space (Galerie21), and a living space for short and long-term residencies, with ateliers and workshops, a communal garden and a vibrant meeting point in the Karolinenviertel.