Young artists invited to take part in nationwide project at JW3

JW3 is looking for young people aged 18 to 35 to take part in a nationwide artistic project marking the 80th anniversary of VE and VJ Day that will culminate in a major exhibition next year. The project, Our Freedom Then and Now, begins on Monday 1 September and runs over nine free evening sessions at the north-west London-based Jewish communal hub. It will provide the opportunity for young people to create personal, meaningful artworks – taking any form from photography, painting, textiles, poetry, to film - inspired by family history, Holocaust narratives, or stories that resonate with them. Participants will be guided by and work alongside professional artists, including poet and theatre-maker Adam Kammerling, to portray their chosen powerful memory. The sessions will run between 6.30 and 8.30pm at JW3, and free dinner will be provided. JW3 is the only was selected as the only faith-based venue to take part in the project, which sees 60 cultural centres across the UK act as venues for young people to create. Two of the nine sessions of JW3’s project will be held at a professional recording studio, with participants learning how to make and record a podcast with the help of a podcast production company. The artworks will be seen in the public exhibition at JW3, opening on November 23, as part of a nationwide 2026 exhibition. The project is led by the Future Arts Centres (FAC) and supported by the UK government. Our Freedom Then and Now is supported by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, who said: “Like all art, poetry itself is a form of freedom, the right to say what we want, where and whenever we like. Freedom makes art possible, allows it to exist. I’m saying that freedom is most noticeable when it’s under threat, which is a warning against taking it for granted or thinking it will just fall into our hands. It’s a constant journey, a mindset and a lifestyle, and in our domestic setting it requires a live-and-let-live neighbourly tolerance. True freedom is a wonder and a joy.” Thamer Barnett, who is heading the project at JW3, said: “The impact of the Holocaust to echo across generations, not only in remembrance, but in the resilience, dignity and strength of those who survived. This project reflects JW3’s core values of community, creativity and responsibility by inviting young adults to honour relatives or others whose stories have moved them. “We will explore the meaning of freedom, its fragility and power, and the role of memory and identity in shaping how we carry these stories forward to amplify these voices with purpose and respect.” To sign up, go to jw3.org.uk/whats-on/our-freedom-then-and-now or click here. Deadline for applications is August 11

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