CREA is a vibrant place in the Plantage where students meet, take courses, and organize and attend cultural activities.
We spoke with Dennis van Galen, director of CREA. He talkes about his love for—and the importance of—art, the history of the monumental building and his wish to put the Roeterseiland campus on the map through more public art.
🗓️ Founded: 1968 (at the current location since 2012)
📍 Location: Nieuwe Achtergracht 170, Amsterdam (a former diamond factory from 1845)
👩🎓 For those who don’t know CREA: what kind of place is it?
“CREA is a cultural foundation where (mostly) students can take creative courses at low cost in dance, theater, music, writing, photography, woodworks, ceramics, and much more. What many people don’t know is that our building also houses 47 student organizations: from the student union to international clubs. They organize debates, lectures, and film nights. This brings energy and creates a strong sense of community. It makes CREA a place where different worlds meet.”
☕ The café as a hidden gem
“Besides the courses, there’s also the CREA café. Few people outside of the student community know how to find this little ‘pocket’. It’s truly a hidden gem. The terrace is beautifully situated on the water, with no car traffic. Peaceful and green, right in the middle of the city. There are no residences or other cafés nearby, so you really have to know about it. But once people discover it, they keep coming back. It has huge potential. We see many opportunities to put this part of the city on the map.”
📅 What does a week at CREA look like?
“From Monday to Wednesday the place is buzzing with courses, and partly on Thursday as well. Fridays and Saturdays are remarkably quiet. The café follows the same rhythm: on Monday evenings the terrace is full, while weekends are often calm. Life here really follows the rhythm of the students. I’d love to see more activity during weekends. CREA is a true hidden gem—something I myself look for when visiting another city.”
🌳 Do you feel connected to the Plantage neighborhood?
“Definitely. It’s a beautiful neighborhood with greenery, history, and museums. So yes, I feel very much at home here. When I started, I felt CREA was sitting under a glass dome. I wanted more connection with the neighborhood and its cultural institutions. The Plantage is a unique cultural district, and we want to be an integral part of it. Not just for students, but for the whole community. My impression, though, is that people don’t yet know how to find us. Everyone still remembers CREA’s old building at the Oudemanhuispoort, but here we still need to make our mark. This part of the Plantage has so much potential. There’s no through-traffic, only destination traffic. I have all sorts of plans to use art to change this: for example, an art route like on the Apollolaan. I’d also like to see the two white bridges here painted by an artist.”
🎨 Art should be visible
“I believe art should be visible—also outdoors. That’s why I brought in United Painting. They became known, among other things, in Brazil for painting the favela’s. Together with them, we’re exploring social design and street art. My dream is that students, together with them, will paint the entire campus so that it becomes Amsterdam’s largest artwork—something even visible from a satellite 😉 That would be amazing. Unfortunately, the pandemic got in the way and the plan fell through. When CREA turned 50, I had two video artists create a custom projection on the façade. It gave the illusion that you could see inside CREA through the walls. That was truly a highlight. Local residents loved it too.”
🏭 A piece of history on the façade: Diamond Cutting Company
“CREA is located in an old diamond factory from 1845. You can still see it in the façade: the high windows were built so diamond cutters had as much daylight as possible. In 2012, the building was nearly demolished—it really was a shabby old place ;-). But local residents put a stop to it. Together with an architectural historian, they fought to preserve the façade. And fortunately, they succeeded. As far as I know, it’s the last industrial façade still standing in Amsterdam’s city center. We think it’s important to keep telling that story. That way, we connect to the city. You can literally see the history: the diamond industry, the workers, the bond with the Jewish community in the neighborhood. It gives CREA an extra layer.”
👠 What is the greatest compliment you’ve received in your work?
“There are so many people that have positive memories of CREA. People who made lifelong friends here in the late ’80s during a quirky tap dance course. Art is in my heart, and I want to touch people through art. I didn’t grow up with art at all- I only encountered it later in life, and it enriched me deeply. I find it special to think that 20 years from now people will say they met here. Art and creativity open worlds and help people discover themselves.”
🔦 What is a moment you’ll never forget?
“For me, that projection on the façade was the moment we were really able to shine our light. We set the tone then: ‘This is what we’ve come here for”
You can watch a video of the projection here
❤️ What’s your favorite spot in the Plantage?
“There’s a small peninsula here, also called Roetersweiland. Last year it was the site of the student camp in solidarity with Gaza. Many ugly things happened there—blood, sweat, and tears were shed—but now people walk their dogs there or sit in the sun with a coffee and their partner. It’s a place where people come together to raise their voices, sometimes in beauty, sometimes in ugliness—and that’s also Amsterdam. It’s an unpolished piece of green space that I really cherish.”
🚀 What do you still wish for CREA and the Plantage?
“I want CREA to become even more visible in the city and in the Plantage neighborhood. That the history of the diamond factory will be preserved, and that together with students and artists we’ll make this part of the city more beautiful and inviting. CREA should remain the place where art, culture, and community come together.”
🔗 Want to learn more or check out the course offerings?
Visit: crea.nl or drop by the café at Nieuwe Achtergracht 170.