The Living Museum Tilburg

What The Living Museum Tilburg does

The Living Museum Tilburg (Stichting The Living Museum Tilburg) is a non-profit Outsider Art museum and free creative sanctuary (vrijplaats) founded in 2016 in Tilburg, Netherlands, serving individuals with lived experience in addiction, psychiatry, or homelessness. Operating from a single physical location at Ringbaan Oost 300 under ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) public-benefit status, the museum provides free art-making and exhibition space with no diagnoses, registration, or fees—the only label applied to participants is "artist." The model draws direct lineage from The Living Museum New York, established in 1983 at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center by artist Bolek Greczynski and psychiatrist Janos Marton. The organization is staffed by 5 employees and sustained by approximately 50 voluntary artists, experts-by-experience, healthcare professionals, and entrepreneurs, supported by a volunteer board chaired by Eva Schweizer.

There is no proprietary technology underlying the operation; the website and webshop run on the Strikingly framework via technology partner ASEGA. Offerings comprise (i) physical gallery and atelier access during scheduled opening hours (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday), (ii) a branded merchandise webshop with five SKUs spanning apparel (€12.50–€75), accessories, and an activity book 'Wie dit leest is kunst', (iii) educational workshops for corporate groups priced at €750 per group of 10–15 persons, delivered on-site or at client locations, and (iv) space rental. Distribution is primarily walk-in, supplemented by a global e-commerce channel and direct B2B workshop sales.

Revenue is diversified across donations, gifts, subsidies, crowdfunding (predominantly from the Dutch public), webshop sales, workshop fees, and space rentals, with all proceeds reinvested into operations. Founders Rob Haen (long-time social-domain practitioner in Tilburg, formerly at SMO Traverse) and Juul Dohmen (Ervaringsdeskundige-trained) drive the program alongside core institutional partners including VSB Fonds, Stichting Jacques de Leeuw, and Kunstloc Brabant. The organization has no venture capital, no private equity backers, no parent company, and no funding rounds.

Name

The Living Museum Tilburg

Legal name

Stichting The Living Museum Tilburg

Website

https://thelivingmuseumtilburg.nl

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Living Museum Tilburg is a non-profit Outsider Art museum providing free art-making and exhibition space for people with lived experience in addiction, psychiatry, or homelessness in Tilburg, Netherlands. It supplements donation-based funding through global merchandise sales and corporate workshops.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tilburg

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Gifts: The Living Museum is a non-profit organization funded primarily through donations, gifts, subsidies, funds, and crowdfunding from the Dutch public. All funds and goods come directly to benefit the museum.
2. E-commerce (Webshop): Online sales of branded merchandise including shirts (Zomer Drip €20), hoodies (Winter Drip €30), scarves (Support your local €12.50), baseball jackets (€75), and books (Wie dit leest is kunst €25). Revenue is reinvested directly into the museum.
3. Workshops: Educational workshops offered for groups of 10-15 persons, priced at €750 per workshop. Includes museum tour, explanation of the free space principles, healing power of art, and hands-on creative activity.
4. Space Rental: Revenue generated from renting out museum space, which is directly invested back into the museum operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Living Museum Tilburg operates a free physical art studio and exhibition space ('vrijplaats') in Tilburg where people with lived experience in addiction, psychiatry, or homelessness can create and exhibit Outsider Art, with no registration, diagnosis, or costs required. Its commercial activities — supporting the mission — include an online webshop selling branded apparel and publications, paid team-building workshops for groups of 10–15, and museum space rental.

Product overview

The Living Museum Tilburg is a non-profit art space (vrijplaats) focused on talent development and personal recovery for people with lived experience in addiction, psychiatry, or homelessness. The organization operates as an Outsider Art museum where anyone can create and exhibit art. Their offerings include a physical art space with exhibitions (such as 'Helden & Hordes' and 'Kunsten & Kruiken'), workshops, and an online webshop selling merchandise products including clothing (t-shirts, hoodies, scarves, baseball jackets) and publications (the 'Wie dit leest is kunst' activity book). The merchandise features the museum's motto 'Iedereen is kunstenaar' (Everyone is an artist) and supports the non-profit organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zomer Drip (Unisex Fairtrade T-Shirt) Unisex Fairtrade t-shirt priced at €20, made of 155 g/m² organic cotton featuring the museum's motto 'Iedereen is kunstenaar' (Everyone is an artist). Sold to consumers/supporters through the webshop to raise funds for the museum.
• Winter Drip (Unisex Fairtrade Hoodie) Unisex Fairtrade hoodie priced at €30, made of 300 g/m² organic cotton and post-consumer recycled polyester, in Navy with off-white 'Iedereen is kunstenaar' lettering. Sold via the webshop to supporters to fund the museum.
• Support Your Local (Double-Knitted Scarf) Double-knitted scarf priced at €12.50, made of 95% acrylic and 5% elastane, with 'THE LIVING MUSEUM' on one side and 'IEDEREEN IS KUNSTENAAR' on the reverse. Sold via the webshop.
• It's All About The Baseball Jacket Classic baseball jacket priced at €75, with contrasting sleeves and snap-button closure, featuring patches of the 'Niet Zo Geheime Kunstgenootschap van Tilburgse Outlaws' logo. Ring-spun cotton/polyester mix, 330 g/m². Sold via the webshop.
• Wie Dit Leest Is Kunst (DOE-book / Activity Book) DOE-book (activity book) priced at €25 that inspires readers to use creativity to discover and tell their own story, exploring personal actions, talents, and motivations. Targets anyone interested in personal development through creativity. Sold via the webshop.
• Workshops (Team-Building / Educational Group Workshops) Educational and team-building workshops priced at €750 per group (10–15 persons), providing information about The Living Museum project, the healing power of art, working from traditions (no rules), and self-management. Includes a museum tour, an artist talk about personal recovery, and a hands-on creative assignment. Suitable for corporate groups and teams; available on location or at the museum in Tilburg (extra travel cost outside Tilburg).

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kunstloc BrabantcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural organization in Brabant that supports the museum's artistic and cultural initiatives.
• Matching PoolminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization supporting the museum as part of their network of supported initiatives.
• Contour DetwernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization providing support for the museum's mission and activities.
• FactoriumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting the museum's activities.
• EspertokoffieminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoffee provider/supporter contributing to the museum's operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Museum Gugging: Austrian outsider art museum associated with the Haus der Künstler in Gugging, showcasing works by artists with lived experience in mental health. Comparable to The Living Museum Tilburg as a dedicated outsider art museum combining studio practice with public exhibition.
• Prinzhorn Collection: Heidelberg-based collection of art by patients of psychiatric institutions, founded on the work of psychiatrist Hans Prinzhorn. Comparable to The Living Museum Tilburg as a major outsider art institution with deep psychiatric-care origins.
• Collection de l'Art Brut: Swiss museum housing one of the world's leading collections of art brut / outsider art. Comparable to The Living Museum Tilburg as a major outsider art institution, though at significantly larger scale and primarily curatorial rather than studio-based.
• Creative Growth Art Center: Oakland, California-based nonprofit art studio and gallery supporting artists with developmental disabilities, mental health conditions, and other lived experiences. Comparable to The Living Museum Tilburg for combining studio practice, exhibition, and community for outsider artists.
• Bethlem Museum of the Mind: London-based museum at the historic Bethlem Royal Hospital exploring the history of mental healthcare through art, archives, and lived experience. Comparable to The Living Museum Tilburg for combining mental health history with artistic expression by people with lived experience.
• Project Onward: Chicago-based nonprofit studio and gallery dedicated to artists with mental and developmental disabilities. Comparable to The Living Museum Tilburg in providing studio space, exhibition opportunities, and community for outsider artists.
• The Living Museum (New York): The original outsider art museum founded in 1983 at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center by artist Bolek Greczynski and psychiatrist Janos Marton. The Living Museum Tilburg explicitly modeled itself on this institution, sharing the same mission of art creation and exhibition by people with lived psychiatric experience.
• Pure Vision Arts: New York-based nonprofit art studio and gallery for artists with developmental disabilities. Comparable to The Living Museum Tilburg in its studio-plus-gallery model supporting outsider artists and exhibition of their work.

Broad incumbents

• Outsider Art Fair: The leading annual fair for outsider and self-taught art, held in New York and Paris. Comparable to The Living Museum Tilburg as it operates in the same outsider art category and helps establish the broader market context for outsider art institutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCm95_aWgKUic_a6e0Ko8Xzg
• Facebookfacebook.com/thelivingmuseumtilburg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-living-museum-tilburg
• Instagraminstagram.com/thelivingmuseumtilburg

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Living Museum Tilburg