Sunny Bank Mills' annual Print Fair is back for its 4th year! Join us on 1st & 2nd March 2025 on the first floor of our iconic 1912 Mill.

We are looking for artists, photographers, zine makers, illustrators, publishers and printmakers at all stages of their career who create prints, make books or zines, or have had books produced by small independent presses.

Individuals, partnerships, collectives and students are all encouraged to apply!

Processes might include:

Etching, monoprint, screen print, bookbinding, calligraphy, linocut, lithograph, risograph, typograph, zine making, letterpress and more.

Sunny Bank Mills is a former textile mill, set in the heart of the community of Farsley, Leeds.

Since 2010, it has been developed as a business and artistic community, with a Gallery selling fine art by local and international artists, a textile and local history archive, shops, cafes, artist studios and more. 

2024 is our eleventh year of art and culture in the Mill, and in that time, we have supported over 1000 artists in more than 80 exhibitions.

This year, we are thrilled to be working with the People Powered Press, who will be curating and installing a pop-up exhibition and running drop-in workshops on the 3rd Floor of the venue.

Open Studios will be taking place in the Twisting and Spinning Mill and our Gallery and Shop will be open as usual.

We also have opportunities for stallholders to run paid workshops on the 3rd floor, so please outline your ideas in your application if interested.

Workshops should be no longer than 1-2 hours, ideally with a capacity for 6-12 people.

As the event coincides with Ones to Watch; our annual student showcase exhibition, a number of tables will be allocated to local students and emerging artists.

These tables will be offered free of charge to a small number of applicants selected by the Gallery team. Please outline within your application if you are applying for an emerging artist stall.

The event will be widely publicised online, on social media (with a reach of over 25k followers across all platforms), and by leaflet and poster distribution around Leeds and its surrounding areas.

Stall Fees (incl VAT):

£80 per day.

Stall fees include a 6ft x 2.5ft wooden trestle table and 1-2 folding plastic chairs.

Things to consider during your application:

• Include high-quality photos showing examples of work that you would be exhibiting on the weekend. Photos of previous stall layouts are also very helpful
• We will be prioritising stallholders offering handmade and hand-printed wares (see list below for more info)
• Exhibitors must be selling their own work (unless part of a collective or studio)
• We do allow stall sharing when appropriate. If you'd like to share a stall with a friend, please submit a joint application and include photographs, web addresses and descriptions for both parties
• Applications for this event are free and will only be accepted via Curatorspace
  
  

What will we accept?

YES

• Handmade books, publications & zines
• Books & zines created by independent publishers or presses
• Risographs
• Linocuts
• Collographs
• Lithographs
• Etchings
• Woodcuts
• Typographs
• Gelli prints
• Letterpress prints
• Screenprints & hand screenprinted clothing / textiles
• Blockprints &  hand block printed clothing / textiles
• Limited edition giclee prints
• Alternative photographic printing methods incl cyanotypes / anthotypes / photogravures
• Digital versions of your own traditional prints to make postcards/greetings cards (only accepted if these are offered alongside work originally created by one of the processes listed above)

NO

• Solely digitally drawn & printed textiles and prints
• Digitally printed photographs (unless included in a zine, publication or handmade book)
• Digital prints of oil paintings/acrylics etc (unless included in a zine, publication or handmade book)

If you have any queries about your eligibility for the Print Festival, please contact us via Curatorspace, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Some traditional print & bookmaking processes may have been missed from the list above due to the vast variety!

The fair will be open to the public 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd March.

Entry for visitors to the fair will be £3 (under 12s free). Free parking.

Please note that our markets do get incredibly busy at points, and may not be the best environment for anyone with sensory sensitivities.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility, please message our Curatorspace account.

The space is accessible by one flight of stairs or a wheelchair-accessible modern lift.

Applications for this event are free, and we are only accepting applications via Curatorspace.

You must have an account to send a message to the curator of this opportunity. Registering only takes a few moments. Once registered you'll be able to keep track of all of your submissions and get updates on upcoming opportunities.

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