Parish Maps: Then, Now, Next revisits the influential Parish Maps project developed by the arts and environmental charity Common Ground to explore what it means to map place today.
First initiated in 1987, Parish Maps invited artists and communities to creatively map the places that mattered to them, celebrating everyday landscapes and local distinctiveness. Drawing on this legacy, the exhibition reimagines mapping within 21st century Exeter through a layered display of archival material and contemporary responses. Exeter-based artist Sam Goodwin presents an illustrative printed map exploring themes of protest, punk culture, and ecology, alongside the collaborative Stitched Stories: River map developed with community groups and museum visitors through workshops led by artist Aga Wanowicz at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery. Together with a selection of archival objects from Exeter's history, these works connect personal memories and experiences to the city's material past.
Within the exhibition space, visitors are invited to contribute to a large communal map of Exeter. This celebrates daily experiences of Exeter and demonstrates how mapping is a collective practice shaped by everyday interactions.
