Sam Zimmerman’s Journey Back to Painting and the Homelands

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce — a.k.a. Minnesota — to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.

Leah and Cole chat with artist Sam Zimmerman (Grand Portage). After two decades on the east coast in public education, Sam moved back to Minnesota to rededicate himself to his passion for painting and to be closer to his family and community.

His artwork explores his Ojibwe heritage, as well as his learnings and experiences in nature after returning to his ancestral homelands. Sam shares about learning language and culture through community collaborations, illustrating books for Native authors, and collaborating with family. He tells Leah and Cole about his path, which began with a college-age passion for painting, and then a love for teaching, and has now come full circle as he returns home.

Sam also discusses his experience venturing into watercolor painting for the first time, which is showcased in his latest gallery exhibition titled “Indigenous Expressions Love Culture and Reinvention” at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO). This exhibition is a collaborative effort with author and illustrator Tashia Hart, as well as bead artist Chenoa Williams.

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.

Subscribe to Native Lights wherever you get your podcasts

More from Native Lights

• The Gift of Listening: Colleen Baldrica on writing, being guided, and mentoring others
  In this episode, we chat with author and retired school counselor Colleen Baldrica. Colleen, a White Earth Nation citizen, authored the book Tree Spirited Woman in 2006. During the pandemic, she recorded the audio version, so that her grandchildren could have an archive of her voice when they’re older. Colleen shares the experience – central …
• 
  Indigenous lifeways as solutions: Wakinyan LaPointe on staying grounded in the cultural teachings of song and the intelligence of Indigenous youth activists
  In this episode, we chat with human rights advocate, singer, storyteller, and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities American Studies doctoral student Wakinyan LaPointe. Wakinyan, a Sicangu (Burnt Thigh) Lakota citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, focuses his studies on Indigenous rights, human rights, and youth organizing. He describes how his work with Indigenous young people, Indigenous …
• 
  Building bridges through story: Ajuawak Kapashesit on playing with genre, the power of story, and making action figure movies as a kid
  In this episode, we sit down with Minneapolis-based actor, writer, and director Ajuawak Kapashesit. Ajuawak, who is Ojibwe, Cree, and Jewish, grew up in Ontario and on the White Earth Reservation. His acting credits include Indian Horse (2017), Once Upon a River (2019), Indian Road Trip (2020), Bad Blood (CityTV/Netflix), and Outlander (Starz/Sony). Ajuawak’s short …