Communities of Creativity: Créahm – Belgium & Switzerland 🇧🇪🇨🇭

Artists at work in one of the Créahm studios

When we talk about the roots of the supported studio movement in Europe, one name comes up again and again: Créahm. Short for Créativité et Handicap Mental (Creativity and Mental Handicap), Créahm has spent over 45 years proving that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are not only participants in the arts, but central voices in shaping contemporary culture.

A Beginning in Liège (1979)

Créahm was founded in 1979 in Liège, Belgium by Luc Boulangé. At a time when opportunities for adults with disabilities to pursue the arts were nearly non-existent, Boulangé built a studio space where creativity was not therapy or diversion, but a professional and cultural practice. Artists were given the tools, time, and support to paint, draw, sculpt, and build careers on their own terms.

Beyond Visual Arts

By the early 1980s, Créahm expanded into theatre workshops, affirming that performing arts - memory, movement, improvisation - could be just as central to self-expression as visual work. In 1994, a Day Centre was added in Liège, weaving structured daily supports with artistic exploration.

Building Cultural Institutions

Créahm’s vision has never been confined to the studio. In 2010, their long-time collection of “art différencié” (art created by people with intellectual disabilities) was given a permanent home at the Trinkhall Museum in Liège. Today the museum holds thousands of works and serves as a hub for exhibitions, research, and curatorial innovation around what they call the “arts situés” - art born from lived environments and experiences.

Expanding the Network

What began in Liège soon grew into a broader network:

• Créahm Bruxelles (BXL), established in Belgium’s capital, connects artists to the vibrant Brussels art scene.

• Créahm Genève (Switzerland) extends the philosophy across borders, with a strong focus on exhibitions and national visibility. Together with Liège, these studios form a European constellation where neurodiverse artists create, experiment, and present their work internationally.

  
  

A Grand Créahm

Today, the “Grand Créahm” includes:

• Studios in Liège, Bruxelles, and Genève

• The Trinkhall Museum

• A Day Centre in Liège

• Theatre and performance programs

• Residencies and international collaborations

Each of these components affirms a single truth: creativity is a fundamental human right. Through decades of persistence, Créahm has shown how supported studios can be both personal sanctuaries of self-expression and cultural institutions reshaping public understanding of disability.

A Legacy of Influence

More than four decades on, Créahm continues to stand as a model for supported studios worldwide. Its artists have transformed not only their own lives through creative practice but also the cultural fabric of Europe, insisting that neurodiverse creativity belongs on the main stage of art history.

🔗 Learn more: Créahm Liège | Créahm Bruxelles | Créahm Genève | Trinkhall Museum