For Our Freedom: Then and Now, Lincolnshire’s communities were connected with the diverse stories of the bombing war, drawing on the International Bomber Command Centre’s 40,000‑item digital archive hosted by the University of Lincoln. Led by Lincoln Arts Centre, the project brought together RAF bases, schools, volunteers, students, and local residents to explore historical and contemporary ideas of freedom.

Across Summer 2025, the team travelled from RAF bases to libraries, community groups, and schools, asking one central question: What does freedom mean to you? Community‑led commissioning workshops and research in the International Bomber Command Centre’s Digital Archive shaped the direction of the work, leading to the commissioning of an artist through a new, community‑first process. As the Lincoln Arts Centre Director reflected: “It’s completely re‑framed how we approach commissioning artists, taking the time to do this process with community members.”

Through structured archive sessions and community‑commissioning workshops, participants co‑designed and selected a major new artwork, which became The Lincolnshire Mosaic of Freedom. Digital artist Allan Levy was chosen for his clarity of thought, strong track record, and clear methodology for engaging large numbers of people. His proposal was unanimously selected by both the community commissioners and the professional panel, who felt confident in his ability to deliver a high‑quality, participatory artwork at scale.

The Lincolnshire Mosaic of Freedom comprised four mosaic artworks, each constructed from thousands of images contributed by local communities, RAF youth groups, local schools, and the International Bomber Command Centre Digital Archive. Viewed up close, each individual image measured around one inch square; from a distance of approximately five feet, the mosaics revealed larger archival images drawn from the IBCC Digital Archive’s collection, alongside two contemporary images of freedom. The final artworks were printed on aluminium – a material closely associated with aircraft construction – symbolising resilience and the enduring spirit of freedom. They were complemented by audio recordings of archival materials, including prisoner‑of‑war letters and VE Day news articles.

To find out more, read Lincoln Arts Centre’s impact report for Our Freedom: Then and Now