Libraries Unlimited – Barnstaple Library, Newton Abbot Library and Exeter Library

From June to November 2026, Libraries Unlimited delivered Our Freedom: Then and Now across Barnstaple Library, Newton Abbot Library and Exeter Library, working with local artist Athena Jane Churchill and a wide range of community partners to explore what freedom means today.

Activity engaged multiple groups including a Memory Café, a mental health art group, Ukrainian families, primary school pupils, wellbeing groups and museum partners. Hundreds of individual artworks were created through workshops and drop‑in sessions, culminating in large‑scale public installations at all three libraries and a final exhibition in Exeter. The installations remained on display for several weeks, inviting ongoing reflection and engagement from library visitors and the wider community.

At Barnstaple Library, work with The Flying Fish mental health group, Barnstaple Memory Café and families created space for conversations about personal freedom, belonging and identity. Participants reflected on mental health, cultural heritage and remembrance, with the launch event bringing together different community groups in a powerful shared moment of connection.

At Newton Abbot Library, the Knit and Natter Group collaborated with Newton Abbot Museum and Wolborough C of E Nursery and Primary School to create an installation that generated conversation across the town. Library staff described the exhibition as bringing “a real buzz” to the space and inspiring new ideas about how the library environment can be used creatively.

At Exeter Library, workshops with families, the Devon Ukrainian Association and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum culminated in a large‑scale foyer exhibition celebrating Exeter’s diverse communities. The project reinforced the library’s role as both a cultural venue and an open, welcoming public space.

Across all three sites, participants spoke about the importance of feeling part of something bigger than themselves. For some, the sessions offered calm and creative expression; for others, they provided connection and validation. One participant reflected, “If you put a thought in someone’s head, it’s like a seed that grows. This project talking about freedom ripples on…”

Read the full case study: Our Freedom: Then and Now – Libraries Unlimited (Devon)