Announcing the inaugural York Wayzgoose…
…featuring superb guest speakers, a suppliers’ fair, workshops and excursions, demonstrations, a print-your-own-beermat pub crawl, a drinks reception, a print auction, our first annual Wayzgoose dinner and, this being York, plenty of actual geese – one of them more than 500 years old!
What’s in our Wayzgoose?
The First York Wayzgoose, running from 6th-8th August 2026, will be an all-out, three-day festival of printing and printmaking, featuring plenary talks from Laura Boswell (Printmakers of Scotland Printmaker of the Year 2025), Jamie Murphy (Salvage Press), Belinda Ugalde (Imprenta Enlace), and a calligraphy demonstration and talk from celebrated type designer Vera Evstafieva. Thin Ice Press Director, Helen Smith, will lecture on the history of printing in York, with an optional walking tour to follow. Demonstrations and workshops will include hybrid letterpress and Riso printing, casting type in a hand mould, and more! Attendees will enjoy the chance to view the Hot Bed Press 20:20 Exhibition, and ‘Making Waves’, a major exhibition about the art of Japanese woodblock print at York Art Gallery.
The early bird registration fee for the conference is £285, which includes all events and activities, lunches, the Wayzgoose dinner, entry to the Suppliers’ Fair, an evening drinks reception, and a goody bag. We’ll be announcing some exciting additions to the programme in the coming weeks – watch this space!
Speaker proposals due March 16th!
We welcome proposals for short talks (15-20 minutes), panels and roundtables. Topics might include:
an insight into your practice, whether as a printer, printmaker, designer, calligrapher or researcher
an aspect of the history of printing and printmaking, relating to any geographical region
a celebration of a small or fine press, type manufacturer, printmaker, typographer or designer
the politics of print / art as praxis
a discussion of how you have translated a particular inspiration into a finished design or print
details of a specialist process or technical problem
tools and materials
the realities, challenges and rewards of running a press, makerspace, community workshop or studio
working with printing and printmaking as a creative writer or artist in another medium
reinvigorating traditional and heritage printing techniques for the twenty-first century
the funding landscape and commercial opportunities as they relate to traditional forms of printing and printmaking, and their intersections with graphic design and/or typography
Please send a proposal of c. 350 words and a brief biography (c. 150 words) to thinicepress@york.ac.uk by Monday 16th March 2026. Submissions are welcome from printers and printmakers, academics and students, and anyone with a keen interest in printing past, present and future. Please be aware that speakers will be asked to pay the registration fee.
York Wayzgoose Registration and Bursaries
Early Bird Registration Fee: £285 (closes 31st May)
Full Registration Fee: £330
We will be able to offer a small number of bursaries to assist with travel and accommodation costs. The size of bursary we are able to award will depend on the number of applications received, as well as the level of funding we are able to secure.
We will prioritise applications from people currently working in the field of traditional printing or printmaking; early career or precariously employed artists, designers and researchers; volunteers; and applicants from underrepresented or marginalised backgrounds. Details of the bursary scheme will be available by mid-April.
Join our Suppliers’ Fair
The Suppliers’ Fair will take place on Saturday 8th August, from 11.00-16.00 and will be open to all attendees at the Wayzgoose (included in the ticket price), as well as to the public in the afternoon.
Tables cost £60, and we ask exhibitors to provide your own tablecloth and signage.
