Crowdfunder for York Centre for Print raises £33,310
Posted on 5 February 2024
Launched in September 2023, our New Future for Heritage Print in York crowdfunder aimed to raise £30,000 for Thin Ice Press to move into new premises in York city centre. The aim of Thin Ice Press: The York Centre for Print will be to create a working press room, museum and gallery.
On 31st January 2024, on the final day of the fundraiser, we reached and exceeded our target, with a total of £33,310 raised from over 200 contributors.
The project has been supported by OPPA since Thin Ice Press began exploring the ideas of finding a more permanent home. The Corporate and Foundations Philanthropy team and the Fundraising and Community Engagement team, alongside colleagues in Communications and the Individual Philanthropy, have supported colleagues at Thin Ice Press in approaching a number of charitable foundations, specialist interest groups, interested individual donors, and a network of supporters from across York and beyond.
In particular, support from The Antiquarian Booksellers Association, the National Printing Heritage Committee and Lisa Unger Baskin were crucial for unlocking new supporters and reaching milestones within the campaign.
The Thin Ice Press team ran a silent auction of specialist books that were donated by supporters of the Centre. Artist and Printmaker Izzy Williamson, produced a limited edition print and donated the proceeds towards the campaign. We also partnered with McKellier Woodtype to recreate printer’s fists (or manicules) from the original DeLittle collection of wooden type that is part of the Thin Ice Press collection. These were sold as a limited edition run to raise money for the crowdfunder.
Thin Ice Press - The York Centre for Print will ultimately be a working pressroom, museum and gallery. It will preserve an ancient craft for future generations, create opportunities for volunteering and employment, and build community through education and creative endeavour.
Following on from the success of the pilot project as part of the StreetLife Hub, a high street shop where the Thin Ice Press established a working press room and temporary museum display which highlights the history of printing in York, as well as a programme of free talks and educational workshops for members of the public, The York Centre for Print will be a more permanent home for this work in an unused historic building in York's city centre.
Find out more about the future of the York Centre for Print on the Thin Ice Press' dedicated website. You can follow them on Instagram too at @ThinIcePress
If you'd like to get in touch with OPPA regarding the Thin Ice Press, please contact Ellen Robotham, Arts and Humanities Philanthropy manager: ellen.robotham@york.ac.uk.