My City January 2022

MYARTS

Martin Turner MOLDING A PROFESSION

Soon thereafter, Turner was watching a TV program with his family when they saw an advertisement for alumi- num foil. “I remember the commercial saying that aluminum foil could be molded into di erent shapes,” he says. “I immediately got some from the kitchen and sure enough, it molded just ne. My rst sculpture was an airplane.” From then on,Turner was using alumi- num foil and his imagination to sculpt and create unique pieces of art for friends and family members and today, that discovery many years ago has led to a fullling profession of art and cre- ativity. He runs a successful art studio in which he completes commissioned works in a variety of forms including drawing, painting and, of course, sculpt- ing, as well as lling the role of art pro- gram coordinator for Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village (SBEV). His talent was evident early on, but Turner did his best to keep it hidden. “When I was young, I didn’t believe that anyone could make a career of art,”

he says. “Growing up in Flint, I was stuck in the belief that the goal was a factory job or manual labor. I wish I had thought di erently. Better late than never, I guess.” At Flint North- ern High School, his creativity be- came public and he soon found him- self making small sculptures for other students. “Mostly dogs and other pets,” he says.Œen, while in the military, he was asked by his peers to create small sculptures of bald eagles, wolves, dogs and other items with patriotic themes. Even then, Turner never truly realized the potential of his talent. After his military service, Turner fell in line and got a factory job. It wasn’t until 2006, when he had a serious accident, that he decided to embrace art full-time. “I was hurt and could no longer work in a factory,” he explains. “It was a blessing in disguise. I took my art se- riously and enrolled in classes at Mott Community College. As I learned to expand my talent and to think on a grand scale, I improved immensely.” 

At six years of age, Mar- tin Turner made the discovery of a lifetime. “My kindergarten teacher had given me a box of clay to play with because she saw my interest in sculpting di erent things,” he remembers. “Of course, I was a kid, so that clay didn’t last very long. I left the last piece outside one day and the next morning, it was gone. I was heartbroken and my parents told me that since I had wasted what I had, they weren’t going to get me any more.” BY PETER HINTERMAN PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MARTIN TURNER

Vidady / stock.adobe.com

ALUMINUM FOIL IS TURNER'S MEDIUM OF CHOICE.

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