Tortie Rye

IMPACT Co-ordinator

Tortie’s role at CFPR is Research Assistant and Impact co-ordinator. This biennial international printmaking event began in Bristol in 1999, hosted by UWE. Since it began IMPACT has been held in Cape Town, Helsinki, Posnan/Berlin and Tallinn. To celebrate 10 years since the event began, IMPACT returned to Bristol in 2009, where it was hosted once again by the CFPR, UWE. Tortie coordinated IMPACT 6, managing all aspects from building the program of events and communicating with participants to coordinating with venues and organisers of associated events, promotion and advertising, design and print, delegates packs and website. The conference was held between two venues: the Bristol Council House, and Bower Ashton, and ran for 5 days. Around 450 IMPACT delegates attended from over 25 countries.

The conference was rich in both visual stimulus and theoretical debate and discussion Following IMPACT 6 Tortie is working on publishing the proceedings of the conference for print and web, and is also supporting hosts in Australia for IMPACT 7 in organising their event.

Tortie also works as a freelance designer and printmaker working on commissions for design and printing of bespoke invitations and stationary, Alongside this she produces her own hand-bound books, editioned screen prints, paper cut designs and artists’ books Tortie is a founding member of SNAP Studio - a printmaking cooperative based in the centre of Bristol. The group run a successful gallery and shop hosting a number of gallery events throughout the year. As well as offering it’s 8 members unlimited access to a screen-print workshop, SNAP also provides courses to the public. Tortie offers introductory bookbinding classes which run monthly at SNAP, and also at other venues across Bristol and surrounding areas. In September 2009, Tortie began studying on the MA Multi-Disciplinary Printmaking course at UWE, as a part time student and is currently taking maternity leave until 2011.