Photo by Clay Schuldt Andy Kahmann stands around draft prints of his most recent Meander poster. As part of his gallery exhibit at The Grand, Kahmann wanted to showcase the process of how a poster print is assembled, layer after layer.

NEW ULM – After more than 55 years in printing, there are a few things Andy Kahmann does not know about the art form.  

Fortunately, he is more than happy to pass on what he has learned to others. The latest art exhibit at The Grand Center for Art and Culture is a showcase of Kahmann’s work and a great introduction to how it is done.

The exhibit is called “A to Z Letterpress” and features print works created in collaboration with Andy Kahmann.  

Kahmann started as a printer’s apprentice for the Bird Island Union in 1968. He later learned to use other letterpress equipment. For 27 years he worked for Montevideo area publication and was the pressroom manager at the West Central Tribune in Willmar for 12 years.

In 2001, Kahmann launched A to Z Letterpress, specializing in cards, letters, stationery, and posters with handset type.  

Starting in 2004, Kahmann began collaborating with area artists to create limited edition letterpress posters for the Meander Art Crawl. Every year since Kahmann has worked with different artists to create a unique poster for the Meander Art Crawl.  

“I can draw, so I work with other artists,” Kahmann said.  

Each of the Meander posters represents a collaboration between Kahmann and another artist. 

“The artist thinks of the image and I think about how to produce it,” he said.

How to produce the image includes how many print layers are needed to produce a final product and how much color is needed.  

Kahmann said typically he only works with a single color, plus black for outlining. A few of the posters in the exhibit use more colors, but only in special cases. A little color will go a long way to create the desired images.

Asked how he became passionate about the printing process, Kahmann said at age 15 he put a piece of paper through the printing press and he hooked. He enjoyed to process of creating something that could be shown to others. Over the years he found out he enjoyed another aspect of printing; teaching others how to do it. He loves to discuss the process and how to do it better.  

His desire to teach printmaking was incorporated into the exhibit. In the corner of the gallery, Kahmann set up a showcase depicting the different layers needed to create the 2024 Meander Art Crawl poster. The first layer was a red “R.” The next layer was a black “A” and “T”. The third layer adds the “Meander” title. The fourth layer includes the event details and the final layer adds the dates in read.

The actual print blocks used to make the poster are also on display in the gallery.

Kahmann encouraged anyone interested in learning more about the printing arts to visit The Grand’s Cellar Press.

“A to Z Letterpress” will remain on display at The Grand through May 31. The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.