Our Freedom: Then & Now
Our Freedom: Then & Now
This Summer The Brewhouse met with residents across Burton and asked them “What does Freedom mean to you?”. Their thoughts, and memories have been carefully woven into an exciting art exhibition.
This special exhibition features:
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An installation by Jennifer Collier, exploring the memories of women in brewing
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Artwork created by local community groups, reflecting on what freedom means to them
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A specially commissioned poem from the Staffordshire Poet Laureate, Scarlett Ward.
About the Project
This year, The Brewhouse is proud to be part of Our Freedom: Then & Now, a national creative programme led by Future Arts Centres. Across the UK, 60 arts centres and libraries are marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War by asking: what does freedom mean, past and present?
Here in Burton, we’re celebrating local voices, heritage, and creativity, with a special spotlight on the women who kept Burton’s breweries running during WWII.
Using a new poem by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage as inspiration, workshops led by artists Jennifer Collier and Scarlett Ward invited local people to create visual artworks and poetry exploring freedom then and now. Photographer Jo Gane also captured participants using a 19th-century photographic process.
Selected work will be exhibited at The Brewhouse Arts Centre and Burton Library from 12th November 2025, and Jo Gane’s photographs will go on a national tour in 2026.
