The people behind the museum #4. Mijke Ulrich

What is their background? What does art mean to them? And what fascinates them? In this section you will meet the staff of the Van Abbemuseum. Fourth in the line-up is Mijke Ulrich. Since 2015, she has led the tour Spraakmakend, designed for visitors with brain injuries or aphasia.

In 2025, Spraakmakend — the tour for people with aphasia and brain injuries — celebrates its tenth anniversary. Its creator, Mijke Ulrich, a social pedagogical counsellor and expert by experience, approached the Van Abbemuseum with the idea in 2015: “After a life-changing event like a stroke, people often focus only on how to reshape life within their limitations. But there are also many newly discovered talents waiting to be explored. So much is still possible. That’s why I’ve been giving this tour for ten years.”

Stroke

“In 2006, at the age of 29, I was living a wonderful life: great friends, fun outings, and a new job I loved. I worked as a social pedagogical counsellor at the Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven. Then I had a stroke, caused by a congenital vascular condition in my brain. The ICU doctor told me I wouldn’t survive. But when the shift changed, a colleague recognised me and did everything he could. That saved my life.”

Aphasia

“After two months in hospital and three months in a rehabilitation clinic, I was allowed to go home. Walking, talking, thinking — I had to relearn it all. But how to enjoy a glass of wine on a terrace again, or listen to music — that wasn’t something the doctors could teach me. I had to rediscover how to truly live. I was left with aphasia, a language disorder. I understood everything people said, but when I spoke, I mixed up words. I’d call a car a bus, and a blouse became trousers.”

The Tour

“Because of the aphasia, I often felt isolated. I realised that people with this condition needed a different kind of attention. That’s how the idea for Spraakmakend was born. I knew the Van Abbemuseum offered tours for deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors, blind and visually impaired guests, and people with Alzheimer’s or dementia. But one was missing: a tour for people with aphasia and brain injuries. Visiting a museum can be overwhelming for this group — lots of stimuli, wall texts, conversations at the ticket desk. I boldly approached the museum with my idea.”

René Daniëls

“During one of the introductory meetings, I walked through the exhibitions with a museum educator. We passed works by Eindhoven-based artist René Daniëls, who also suffered a stroke in 1987. Unlike me, he wasn’t able to recover his verbal language. Yet after twenty years of silence, he returned to making art in 2007. At one of the first Spraakmakend tours, Daniëls joined as a participant — a very special moment. Afterwards, we shared a glass of wine in the museum café. A perfect ending.”

Art and Recovery

“Today, Spraakmakend is a regular part of the Van Abbemuseum’s programme. As an expert by experience and social pedagogue, I developed the tour, and a museum educator with art expertise complements my role. Together, we prepare each session, focusing on different artworks and exhibitions. In essence, it’s a regular tour — except that the participants, like me, have stared death in the face. I minimise sensory overload and take extra time. For me, this is the ultimate example of how art can support recovery."

Independence

“In the past decade, Spraakmakend grew from two or three participants to a regular group of returning visitors. That’s exactly what I hoped for: people with aphasia or brain injuries visiting the museum on their own initiative, rather than being accompanied. I hope the tour helps them regain a sense of independence. And maybe, in time, they’ll feel confident enough to visit an exhibition on their own. More and more museums in the Netherlands now offer low-stimulus tours for people with aphasia. That’s fantastic — it makes these spaces more accessible to everyone.”

Mijke's favourites

Favourite work in the collection

“Concetto Spaziale: Attese by Lucio Fontana — the ‘artwork with the slash’. You peer into the darkness through that opening, a black void. I compare it to what happened to me and the Spraakmakend participants. But through that tear in the canvas, light also enters — the new path in life after a stroke.”

Favourite Van Abbemuseum exhibition

“The multiple perspectives offered in the collection presentation Delinking and Relinking really speak to me. Of the ten years I’ve led Spraakmakend, this exhibition was present for five. It holds a special place in my heart.”

Favourite place in the museum

“Although I give the tours inside the museum, my favourite place is actually outside: the garden and terrace of the Van Abbe café. The atmosphere is so warm — that’s incredibly important to me. It makes the museum feel welcoming and accessible to everyone.”

Favourite artist

“What Eindhoven artist Tijs Rooijakkers achieved with his project Supertoll! embodies everything I aim for with my tour: willpower, resilience, and passion. A socially engaging project.”