Parc d'Avroy
4000 LIEGE
04/222.32.95
Art
In 1979, the Créahm association (creativity and mental handicap) came into being. Its purposes are clearly set forth: to give the mentally handicapped person a chance to develop his/her artistic talents in a choice environment, and to gain well-earned recognition as a result of this cultural opening. The Créahm approach is inevitably akin to that of a culturally recognized, non-handicapped artist, avoiding the occupational aspect usually used hitherto in the various institutions. Modest at the outset, the painting studios made in Liège in 1980 are developing fast, and extending to other disciplines such as sculpture, theatre, dance, music, photography, and singing, and also straying to other areas. So the art studios and workshops were also opened in Brussels in 1982. These early initiatives enabled people to work in studios and workshops surrounded by artists capable of giving guidance, but without diverting mentally handicapped persons away from their original lines of thought; they were swiftly backed up by such events as exhibitions, shows, and concerts. The Créahm has quickly become a reference in the field, extending well beyond our borders. Today, frequent international projects are still being programmed at the bidding of the asbl. In 1986, the first European conference on Art and Mental Handicap was organized in Liège by the Créahm, thus bringing an additional dimension to its activities: research and reflection about the artistic potential of mentally handicapped persons. In order to assert the existence of this form of expression, the Differentiated Art Centre [CAD] opened its doors in the Parc d'Avroy in 1992. A permanent collection of artworks produced by mentally deficient persons, gleaned from contacts and exchanges with the Créahm was put on view. An art gallery, reserved for its part for temporary exhibitions also saw the light of day. In 1998, the CAD became the Museum of Differentiated Art [MAD]. This latter now boasts a documentation centre devoted to art and mental handicap as well as to marginal forms of expression: Art Brut, Outsider Art... The permanent collection which you will discover in this venue is a selection of certain works chosen from our stacks. This heritage, which life?s ups and downs and a concern with discovery have gradually enriched, is representative of countless contacts made between the Liège and Brussels Créahm workshops and studios, and Belgian and foreign associations, since the late 1970s (Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Scotland, Italy, France, Portugal, Ireland, Great Britain, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Hungary, USA, Australia, China, and Japan...) The Museum's aim is to safeguard this heritage, and exhibit and study it, as well as enlarge it...