About Our Freedom: Then and Now
Our Freedom: Then and Now is a new UK-wide, locally-led arts and creative programme which will produce 60 new pieces of work reflecting on what ‘Our Freedom’ means to local people and their communities, following the 80th anniversary of VE/VJ Day.
North Lanarkshire Events
George Loudon: Letters Home
Friday 10 October, 2pm
Tuesday 21 October, 2pm
As part of our Our Freedom: Then & Now project join our archivist to learn more about George Loudon and his letters held in our Archive collection. He served as an engineer with the Royal Engineers, was captured in May 1941 and sent to Stalag XVIII-A. From his letters home we hear about his time there, his thoughts about his fellow prisoners, his fiancée at home and finally his escape in 1944.
Book a free place for Friday 10 October here: https://culturenl.co.uk/rbi9
Book a free place for Tuesday 21 October here: https://culturenl.co.uk/wqdo
Creative Writing with Antje Bothin
Tuesday 28 October, 2pm | Motherwell Library
Tuesday 4 November, 2pm | Bellshill Cultural Centre
Join us for a creative writing and poetry workshops local poet and author Antje Bothin. These workshops are part of our Our Freedom: Then & Now programming. The produced writing will form part of our larger exhibition in the Immersive Room at the end of the Our Freedom: Then & Now project.
These participatory workshops will be interactive and participants will be invited to reflect on the end of the war and what freedom means to our communities in North Lanarkshire, then and now. The poem Freedom Road by poet laureate Simon Armitage will be the inspiration point for the activity.
Book a free place at Motherwell Library here: https://culturenl.co.uk/1qzw
Book a free place at Bellshill Cultural Centre here: https://culturenl.co.uk/9bnb
Artistic Workshops with John Martin Fulton
Wednesday 29 October, 10am | Cumbernauld Library Makerspace
Wednesday 5 November, 10am | Motherwell Library
Wednesday 5 November, 1pm | Motherwell Library
Thursday 6 November, 10am | Wishaw Library
Thursday 6 November, 2pm | Shotts Library
Join us for an artistic workshop with artist John Martin Fulton where you’ll be given the chance to explore and express what freedom means to you using a variety of visual mediums.
John will be hosting various artistic workshops with us as part of our Our Freedom: Then & Now programming with some of the final artworks and creations used to help create our final Our Freedom: Then & Now exhibition at the Immersive Room in Motherwell Library at a later date.
Book a free place for Cumbernauld Library here: https://culturenl.co.uk/qsbz
Book a free place for Motherwell Library morning here: https://culturenl.co.uk/r8c8
Book a free place for Motherwell Library afternoon here: https://culturenl.co.uk/wz3j
Book a free place for Wishaw Library here: https://culturenl.co.uk/el56
Book a free place for Shotts Library here: https://culturenl.co.uk/qyxw
Feeding the Hunger of the Soul: The Monklands and The Leningrad Album
Monday 17 November, 2pm | Coatbridge Library
In 1941, not long after the siege of Leningrad had commenced, the “Russia Today Society” in Airdrie agreed to collect, and collate in an album, women’s signatures from Airdrie and Coatbridge to send to the women of Leningrad to convey feelings of admiration and support. This small act of solidarity had a tremendous effect on the people of Leningrad and inspired a reciprocal album to be produced and sent to Scotland. Find out about the history of the two albums and reflect on what their creation says about the power of the freedom of imagination.
A special Our Freedom: Then & Now event during Book Week Scotland.
Book a free place for Monday 17 November, 2pm here: https://culturenl.co.uk/vh0y
Our Freedom Community Photo eBook
As part of North Lanarkshire’s involvement in the Freedom: Then & Now project, we are inviting you, the public of North Lanarkshire, to help us create a community photo eBook. The idea behind the eBook is to give you a place to showcase what freedom means you now in the present day using photography.
You can even include a short paragraph to explain why your photo portrays freedom to you. Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has written a poem for the UK wide project which might give you some inspirations. You can read it here.
Your photo and accompanying text could then be included in the final version of an eBook made available to our library members via our eLibrary service BorrowBox. A selection of photos will also be used to form part of an exhibition which will be displayed with our Immersive Rooms.
Deadline for submissions is Friday 31 October.
