[3] Founded in 1993 in Berlin, Germany, through the volunteer efforts of the Board of Directors and countless partners and friends to represent and support the needs of residential arts centers and programs, Res Artis has grown to become the largest network of its kind.
[4][5] Each of Res Artis' members is dedicated to offering artists, curators, and all manner of creative people the essential time and place away from the pressures and habits of every-day life, an experience framed within a unique geographic and cultural context.
Through Res Artis, organisations become part of a global community of colleagues engaged in dialogue through face-to-face meetings and virtually through an extensive online presence.
Members of the organisation include a wide variety of facilities that may take the form of an art colony, an artist-run space, or other regional residency networks.
The organization has been cited for its work to further the international mobility of artists and the promotion of cultural exchange through art residencies.