Q&A: Doing the State Fair with local artist Adam Turman

When Adam Turman was in middle school, he a won a contest to have his art printed on T-shirts.

Candles with artist Adam Turman’s designs line shelves at his Grandstand booth at the Minnesota State Fair on Aug. 31, 2023. Turman licenses his designs to a third-party merchandiser, which allows him to spend his time making art, rather than managing logistics, he said. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

The experience stuck with him, he said — of a bunch of people he might not know personally appreciating and interacting with something he created. Now a prolific painter and pop artist with a massive booth on the second floor of the State Fair Grandstand, Turman has turned that animating feeling into a full career.

“I love to make things that many people can share in,” Turman said Thursday at his Fair shop. “I want to make people happy with the work I do. (That) they walk away with some sort of a smile or joy they get out of it.”

Turman has been attending the State Fair since he was a teenager, but his artistic presence there is more recent: He was selected to create the Fair’s commemorative poster in 2015, and began selling his own work there in 2017.

Most of his art focuses on Minnesota iconography, or what he calls “deep local pride.” And people love it: This year, his Grandstand shop tripled in size — less a booth than a full-blown store, with T-shirts, mugs and candles alongside his trademark screen prints.

We caught up with Turman to learn how one of the most recognizable Minnesota artists does the State Fair.

Adam Turman, a local pop artist, points to the sign hanging over his booth at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on Aug. 31, 2023. Turman’s booth tripled in size for the 2023 Fair, and in addition to paintings and prints, he also sells mugs, candles, shirts and more with his Minnesota-themed designs. (Jared Kaufman / Pioneer Press)

What is your favorite… Fair food?

“Chicken and waffles at the Blue Barn. Just a whole meal in one. It’s in a cone, it’s easy to hold, there’s a lot of things going on. And then at the bottom of the cone, there’s a malted milk ball. Like a little treat at the bottom.”

… drink at the Fair?

“Ballpark Cafe, they have one of the biggest selections of craft beers, and that’s kind of my thing. I’m a big fan of the Surly Ghost Runner.

“If you want one of those silly Fair beers — I don’t totally get into the gimmicky stuff too much, but if you’re going to do it, try the mini donut. It’s fun. But be prepared to bring a wet wipe for your mouth!”

… fairgrounds activity?

“Ye Old Mill is super fun, the classic old-school ride that we all know and love. It’s silly. And I love the dioramas. I think there’s only four of them, but they’re brilliant. It would be so much fun to do a black light mural on the black space in that tunnel. But it’s a classic — you gotta love it.”

… spot to relax?

“If you want to take a break, sit down, chill: The coliseum, where they show all the horses and the cattle. That’s just great. It’s air conditioned, so it’s great in there, and it tends to be quiet, too.”

… place to be creatively inspired?

“I love the Creative Activities building. You see what you traditionally think of as artwork, but applied to all these different things. You see woodworking, metalworking, quilting and fabric arts. And also food arts, too, like cakes and marmalades. It’s so cool to see all that creative energy coming out in different ways.”

… fundamentally Minnesotan thing at the State Fair?

“Me! No. Boy, that’s a great question.

“It’s a toss-up between all the things on a stick. Pronto Pups, probably. That’s super Minnesotan. A corn dog or a Pronto Pup on a stick — and I’m not going to tell you which one’s better. I don’t play favorites.”

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