The Grand's latest artist-in-residence, Jared Kaufman, works on The Cellar Press printing equipment.

NEW ULM — The Grand welcomes the latest artist-in-residence, Jared Kaufman.

Kaufman explores food and our relationships with food through a variety of visual and textual forms. By day, Kaufman is a food journalist: Currently, he is the food and features reporter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Artistically, Kaufman is interested in how letterpress and printmaking bridge visual communication and language, and his work ranges from bold statements and letterforms to high-contrast and occasionally spiritual imagery.

For many years, art forms like digital illustration – and, more recently, letterpress – have been central to Kaufman’s academic presentations, and he is interested to continue exploring the intersections of art, food, and sociology.

Kaufman also holds a Master’s Degree in food studies from Boston University’s Gastronomy program, where his thesis research focused on kids’ menus and the sociological construction of childhood tastes.

As a community outreach component, Kaufman will work on a project that blends letterpress and food. He will work with a local business to create a menu that features the capabilities of Cellar Press.