About Queen's Hall Arts Queen's Hall Arts (QHA) is a registered charity and multipurpose arts centre based in the heart of Hexham. We develop and deliver a vibrant arts programme offering a wide range of shows, exhibitions, concerts and special events, support professional and aspiring artists, provide opportunities for our community to take part in the arts and offer a valuable creative resource to our local area. Find out more: https://www.queenshall.co.uk/ - www.queenshall.co.uk 2025 marks 80 years since the end of the Second World War, a pivotal moment that reshaped life across the UK and beyond. To commemorate this anniversary, arts centres and libraries across the country will be hosting a powerful new programme of community-led creative projects. We are seeking an artist or collective to co-create a new public-facing work that explores the question: What does freedom mean to us today, in this place, through the lens of the Second World War and its legacy? Read the Artist Callout document in full on our website. How to Apply To apply, please email the following to [email protected]: Deadline for applications: Sunday 20 July 2025.Job Summary
Job Description
About Our Freedom: Then and Now
Led by Future Arts Centres, in partnership with Libraries Connected and supported by Arts Council England, Our Freedom: Then and Now invites local people to explore what freedom means to them, then, now, and in the future.
As part of this national initiative, Queen's Hall Arts is leading a local commission that prioritises community voices. Inspired by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage's specially commissioned piece Freedom Road, our project will connect past and present, honouring personal and shared histories through a contemporary lens.
Our Freedom: Then and Now will run from July to November 2025.Job Requirements
The project will focus on RAF Spadeadam, a remote site on the Northumberland and Cumbria border. Built in the 1950s to support the Blue Streak rocket programme, the base reflects a moment in Britain's Cold War history. Although the project was later abandoned, parts of the original site remain, offering a striking prompt for creative reflection.
Our starting point will be Simon Armitage's poem Freedom Road, which can be used to begin conversations about freedom in personal, political, and historical terms.
A video of Simon performing the poem can be found on our website https://www.queenshall.co.uk/get-involved/projects/our-freedom-then-and-now - here.Useful Links
How to Apply
- Examples of previous work and links to photos / films
- A proposal of how you will approach the project – including gathering ideas from community participants and translating them into an animation or moving image piece of work. (word limit 300)
- Contact details
- Artist Bio
- Any access requirements you’d like us to be aware of
If you have any questions about your application, please email [email protected].