Organizer Information
The Grand Center for Arts and Culture is a non-profit arts and culture center in New Ulm, Minnesota, housed in the historic former Grand Hotel, providing the community with an art gallery (4 Pillars Gallery), gift shop, arts education area, a letterpress and printmaking studio (Cellar Press), and a live performance space (The Grand Kabaret). The building itself dates back over 150 years, beginning as a hotel built in 1856, and has since been destroyed by fire, rebuilt, and repurposed multiple times before its restoration into an arts and cultural center.
The Grand's mission is to enrich community life through arts and cultural education and experiences, and to support local artists by offering them opportunities to develop and demonstrate their artistry. The Cellar Press studio — the newest addition to the center, located in the basement — offers letterpress and printmaking facilities built around a collection of antique type, presses, and bookbinding equipment. The organization has worked to develop an artist-in-residence program focused on book arts as part of its ongoing growth.
Title & Description
2027 Minnesota Artist-in-Residence Program at Cellar Press
The Grand Center for Arts & Culture (GCAC) is inviting guest artists to apply for its artist residency program for the 2027 calendar year, offering use of the Cellar Press studios — letterpress, printmaking, and bookbinding — to create works of art or to support an artist's broader practice. Residencies last two to three weeks. Artists are not required to live in New Ulm during their residency, but are expected to spend a significant amount of time in the studios gaining skills and producing work.
The Grand will host up to eight residents during the 2027 calendar year, with priority given to early-career artists — defined as those who have been generating work in their medium for 2–10 years outside of a degree-granting program. Students, recent graduates, mid-career, and established artists are also encouraged to apply. The selection committee may award one residency to an out-of-state artist, though priority is given to supporting Minnesota artists.
Categories
- Printmaking
- Paper-based
- Craft
- Residency
- Visual Arts
- Design
Eligibility
- Must be a current resident of Minnesota (the selection committee may award one residency to an out-of-state artist, though Minnesota artists are prioritized)
- Priority given to early-career artists (generating work in their medium for 2–10 years outside of a degree-granting program); students, recent graduates, mid-career, and established artists are also encouraged to apply
- Must have some technical skills in the medium pursued (GCAC staff will introduce artists to Cellar Press equipment specifics, and artists complete a virtual equipment training)
- Must be actively engaged in an artistic practice with an interest in book arts, letterpress, or printmaking
- Must be willing to demonstrate their practice through informal and/or formal presentation
- Pets cannot be accommodated during residencies; a spouse, family member, or friend may visit for a maximum of three nights
- Artists with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences are strongly encouraged to apply, including those who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and artists with disabilities
Program Benefits & Awards
- Materials stipend
- Grand Membership (a $100 value)
- All-hours access to Cellar Press during the residency period
- Free lodging at The Grand Apartment (food not included)
- Stipend of $300 per week, paid to individual artists
- Storage space for supplies and consumables
- Participation in the annual Artist Residency Gallery Show
- Profiles in GCAC print and online communications
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Document 1 (doc, docx, or pdf), submitted with no name in the document itself, named LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_proposal:
- Artist resume (3-page maximum)
- Artist statement or bio (approx. 300 words maximum)
- Project proposal (approx. 500 words maximum) demonstrating the applicant's vision and planned use of GCAC studios and equipment
- Community project proposal (approx. 300 words maximum) describing the community outreach component
- 2027 availability
- Document 2 (doc, docx, or pdf), submitted with no name in the document itself, named LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_portfolio:
- Six to eight image samples presented as a digital portfolio, each labeled with title, medium, size, and year completed; maximum file size 20 MB
- Applications are reviewed via a blind jury process; contact information is entered separately in the online application form
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 14 August 2026
- Decision Notification: Late November, 2026
- Earliest Residency Start: January 2027 (exact residency dates to be negotiated with artists)
Location
New Ulm, Minnesota, United States
Additional Details
- Artists-in-Residence are expected to: have some technical skills in their medium; immerse themselves in a new or continuing body of work; work independently in the Cellar Press studio; lead a public community project in the New Ulm area (examples include public demonstrations, teaching a printmaking or book arts class, presenting at a farmer's market or festival, a public art installation or performance, leading a workshop at a summer Kid's Creativity Camp, or designing linoleum blocks for The Grand's use); provide at least two works produced during the residency for The Grand's exclusive use; maintain a safe and clean working area; and complete an exit interview at the residency's conclusion
- Cellar Press equipment includes an SP-15 Vandercook press (non-motorized), a Vandercook 215 (motorized inking), a Vandercook 1 proofing press, a Showcard Press, several small platen presses, a 1938 Kluge, and a Takach 24" x 36" etching press, along with a large collection of vintage metal and wood type and printing ink; bookbinding equipment includes hand tools for leather tooling, a board shear, an Ideal Kutrimmer, an Advance guillotine paper cutter, a Kwikprint foil stamper, a finishing press, nipping presses, and a job backer
- Applications are reviewed via blind evaluation by a jury of GCAC staff and area arts professionals, with the most weight given to the project proposal and work samples, and special consideration given to early-career artists