What does it mean to think about matter and materiality through the medium of letterpress printing? 

We invite scholars of matter, materiality and/or material culture (broadly conceived) in any discipline, and at any career stage (including graduate students), to apply to our 2025 summer school: Print Matters. Supported by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Print Matters Summer School will offer participants a unique opportunity to advance their research, develop new skills in letterpress printing, and engage with questions of matter, materials or things and their affordances in theory and practice.

Based at Thin Ice Press; the York Centre for Print, our summer school will combine practical printing sessions, discursive seminars, and trips to cultural heritage sites including the Minster Library and Shandy Hall. Participants will be set some pre-reading, and will deliver short, public-facing lightning talks about the shift this experience has affected in their research. 

Participants will leave the summer school with an intimate knowledge of print in theory and practice and new ways of thinking about matter, materials, and/or materiality. 

The summer school will begin early in the afternoon of Wednesday 16th July 2025, and end at noon on Saturday 19th July. Participants will be provided with accommodation from 16th-19th July, 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 1 dinner, and travel costs up to the value of £100. 

To apply, please complete this application form and upload your CV no later than Wednesday 12th February. Places will be allocated on the strength of the case you make as to how your research about matter and material culture will be enriched by a stronger theoretical and practical understanding of letterpress printing. 

Early career scholars and those from under-represented backgrounds in their field are particularly encouraged to apply. Preliminary enquiries from those who identify within these categories and would like support with their application are welcome. Please get in touch with Helen.smith@york.ac.uk and Georgina.wilson@york.ac.uk.