Meet the artist behind In Our Hearts
Now, more than ever, is a time to show gratitude, solidarity and support for each other—from health care workers to the patients we care for and all other members of our community.
One way we’re showing gratitude is through In Our Hearts. We’re partnering with Minnesota-based artist Adam Turman to bring good will, gratitude and support to our community.
Meet Adam Turman
Adam Turman’s art is uniquely Minnesotan—his bright and illustrations and murals offer playful takes on our Midwest culture, from the Stone Arch Bridge to Babe the Blue Ox, to Minnesota’s great outdoors. His work can be found all over the state, including here at Children’s Minnesota!
We sat down with Adam to learn more about his art and why he loves Children’s Minnesota:
What inspires your work?
Most often, my work is inspired by events, activities, pop culture and people I surround myself with. I’m always observing things around me. Sometimes imagery forms in my head from an event and I take a twist on it through my style of art.
As a kid, I was into the art of comics, skateboarding, movie posters and album covers. I’m still into that same imagery, music, and culture. Those styles and subjects have always had a huge impact on me throughout my artistic career. My style has evolved as I’ve experienced more life events, but at my core, visual attraction has remained consistent.
What is your favorite thing about being a Children’s Minnesota partner?
I love working with brands who make a great product or experience, and ultimately make the world a better place. Children’s Minnesota is my example of the perfect partner to work with. Children’s Minnesota allows me to be an artist and do what I do while enhancing their business. I’m able to take my style and their brand and mesh the two into a fun, fresh look that helps to make children’s experiences better.
Adam’s Children’s Minnesota Experience Fact: My youngest daughter was born with a bad kidney. The wonderful doctors and surgeons at Children’s Minnesota helped her to remove that bad kidney and she’s a healthy, happy teenager now. I have actual first-hand experience with how Children’s Minnesota helps kids and their families. I love them for that.
When did you start your career in art?
I’ve been making art since I was a little kid—probably at about age 3 or so. I’ve always loved to make things; it’s in my blood. I took as much art as I could in school and outside of school growing up. My family always encouraged me to keep creating through all types of means. Plus, my teachers saw the creative spark in me and also helped to grow that artistic energy.
My art career started in the mid-90s. I worked at a small inline skate company making art for their products and I turned to interactive/web design in the early 2000s. I found that I wasn’t using as much of my illustrative talent at my graphic design jobs, and sought out an artist collective in 2003. This experience gave me space to find my style. I made a lot of pro-bono art for musicians around the Twin Cities, and eventually turned that into a profitable endeavor. In 2012 I quit my day job and officially started my full-time artist career.
Any advice for kids and parents doing art from home right now?
My advice to kids and parents at home is to have art supplies at the ready. When inspiration hits, it’s really nice to have instant access to be creative. You never know when the artist bug will strike. If you have everything you need to make art with a brush or crayon in the moment, the more apt you are to do so.
Check out Adam’s work!
To see some of Adam’s work with Children’s Minnesota, check out the coloring activity and the Star Shop.
You can also find more of his recent work on his Instagram profile, @adamturman. You can also visit his website, adamturman.com, to see his full portfolio of art.