The Cologni Foundation for the Métiers d’Art is a private non-profit organisation established in Milan by Franco Cologni, its President, in 1995. It promotes a series of cultural, scientific and divulgative initiatives for the protection and diffusion of the métiers d’art.

With its publishing series ‘Mestieri d’Arte‘ and ‘Ricerche’ (Marsilio Editori), it aims to historically reconstruct the reality of these activities of excellence to the present day, looking at the great tradition of Italian savoir-faire.

With Carthusia it publishes the series ‘Storietalentuose’, created to make the professions of the great Italian craft tradition known and loved by the very young.

The foundation conceived and produces the six-monthly magazine ‘Mestieri d’Arte & Design. Crafts Culture‘, dedicated to the excellence of craftsmanship and design, distributed to subscribers of Elle Decor Italia and Marie Claire Maison as well as in important and prestigious institutions and museums of applied arts.

With the apprenticeship programmes of the project ‘Una Scuola, un Lavoro. Percorsi di Eccellenza‘ it has actively supported the training of young people in high craftsmanship and their insertion into the world of work for the past 13 years.

In 2016, it established the biennial ‘MAM – Maestro d’Arte e Mestiere‘ award, in collaboration with ALMA, The International School of Italian Cuisine, dedicated to excellent Italian Masters of Art.

It participates in the Milano Design Week with the project ‘Doppia Firma. Dialogues between design and artisanal excellence‘, in collaboration with Living Corriere della Sera.

It collaborates with Starhotels, OMA and Gruppo Editoriale on the “La Grande Bellezza by Starhotels” patronage project in support of Italian craftsmanship.

It promotes guidance in choosing training courses in artistic craftsmanship through the portal www.scuolemestieridarte.it.

It collaborates with the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship, of which it is a partner for the Homo Faber Event: the 2024 edition took place in Venice, on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore, at the Giorgio Cini Foundation. The Foundation curated “Homo Faber in città” for this edition.

It carries out an intense scientific and educational activity, collaborating with prestigious public and private cultural institutions: among them SDA Bocconi, Politecnico di Milano, Creative Academy, La Triennale, FAI-Fondo Ambiente Italiano, Centre du Luxe et de la Création, Institut pour les Savoir-Faire Français.