If we want to walk along Freedom Road
then away we go. It’s a slog at times
but look at the views: deserts, the airport, a lake.
On the move, passing through towns and cities
we dance with the locals. Come as you are,
they say, do as you wish, sing us your dreams.
Or if we decide to stay put, Freedom Road
is our home address. A neighbour’s washing
flaps in the breeze like hilarious friendly flags;
in the house and over the garden fence we agree
to differ; someone’s grazing a horse on the common
where Freedom Lane becomes Freedom Green.
You can’t dig up freedom like a potato
from the verges of Freedom Way, or pan it
from Freedom Beck like inklings of gold;
it won’t be delivered to Freedom Avenue
gift-wrapped in silver string. Where it goes unnoticed –
that’s where it exists. Listen, when people ask
where they can find Freedom Road, we don’t say
turn right by the church, left by the bank,
we stroll where we want and live as we please.
And there it is.
Our Freedom: Then and Now exhibition embarks on nationwide UK tour
Following its premiere at London’s Southbank Centre, the major national photography exhibition Our Freedom: Then and Now will tour to 18 arts centres and libraries across the UK from March to October 2026, with a full online version launching on 18 March. Marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War, the exhibition … Continued
Exhibition bringing 60 UK communities’ take on freedom to London’s Southbank Centre
A major photography exhibition marking the culmination of the national Our Freedom: Then and Now programme, marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War, will open at the Southbank Centre on Wednesday 25 March 2026. The exhibition brings together images from 60 locally led projects spanning towns, cities and rural communities across … Continued
Our Freedom: Celebrating Community, Creativity, and the Meaning of Freedom
As the UK commemorates 80 years since the end of the Second World War, communities across the country are reflecting on what freedom means today. Our Freedom: Then and Now, the nationwide creative programme led by Future Arts Centres, is bringing together 60 arts centres and libraries to explore freedom through art, performance, and storytelling. … Continued
New nationwide exhibition to mark culmination of Our Freedom: Then and Now
We are delighted to announce Our Freedom: Then and Now will culminate in a national photography exhibition launching in early 2026 and inviting audiences to see their own freedoms reflected in others. Delivered in partnership with Open Eye Gallery, the exhibition will spotlight the powerful stories emerging from the Our Freedom programme, captured through the … Continued
Minister Stephanie Peacock visits Our Freedom: Then and Now projects in Barnsley and Oxford
Future Arts Centres was delighted to welcome Stephanie Peacock MP, Minister for Sport, Media, Civil Society and Youth to two member venues this week as part of a visit to see the impact of Our Freedom: Then and Now. The Minister visited Barnsley Civic and The Old Fire Station in Oxford, both active contributors to … Continued
Our Freedom: Then and Now Partners with Leading Voices in Libraries, Arts, and Media
We’re pleased to officially introduce three fantastic organisations who are partnering with Future Arts Centres to help bring powerful community stories to life across the UK as part of the Our Freedom: Then and Now programme: Libraries Connected, Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool as part of the Socially Engaged Photography Network (SEPN), and Milk & Honey PR. … Continued