The Living Museum

Tucked inside a building on the grounds of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, the Living Museum is a collection of artists’ work that feels nothing like a conventional museum.

Established in 1983, it is a working creative space where psychiatric patients can create paintings, sculptures, installations, and mixed-media works. Artwork fills walls, rooms, and exhibition spaces, while individual artists can maintain their own studios and develop work alongside one another.

There is even a music studio where albums have been recorded and are available for purchase in the museum store, along with patient artwork.

Psychologist Janos Marton and artist Bolek Greczynski created the Living Museum around the idea that people receiving psychiatric care could be recognized for their artistry. Four decades later, it remains an unusually immersive intersection of art, community, and mental health care.