Skip to content

Find us on…

Venues

North Tyneside Community Hubs & Libraries

Exhibition

Johannah Churchill
View exhibition photographs

North Tyneside Libraries marked Our Freedom: Then and Now with River to Freedom, a warm and community‑led project celebrating local voices, creativity and the many ways people understand freedom today. Developed in collaboration with artist Amy Langdown, the project brought together community groups from Battle Hill, Wallsend and North Shields Libraries to create a shared visual response to the theme.

River to Freedom – Community Artwork

Working with Amy Langdown, participants explored the idea of freedom through lino‑cut printmaking, producing bold, expressive images that captured their personal reflections. These individual prints were then brought together to form a large, commissioned banner, displayed at Wallsend Library, with:

  • a full‑size replication at North Shields Library, and
  • smaller visual representations at Battle Hill Library.

The artwork offered a collective portrait of how freedom is felt, imagined and expressed across North Tyneside’s communities.

River to Freedom: A Community Celebration

The project culminated in a celebration event at Wallsend Community Hub and Library on 14 November, where the completed artwork was unveiled for the first time. The event featured:

  • a performance from a pop‑up choir
  • readings of poems and writing inspired by “what freedom means to me”
  • the first public display of the community‑created banner
  • opportunities for visitors to try the lino‑cut techniques used in the project
  • refreshments and time to gather, talk and reflect

It was a joyful moment of shared creativity, bringing together participants, families and local residents to celebrate the culmination of months of community work.

Exhibition Run

Following the celebration, the River to Freedom exhibition remained on display from 14 November 2025 to 28 February 2026, giving visitors across the borough the chance to encounter the artwork in their local library. By spreading the work across three sites, the project ensured that the voices and creativity of each participating group were visible within their own communities.