
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.
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More from Native Lights
- Rick Haaland: Speaking for the AnimalsToday, we’re excited to speak with Rick Haaland, an animal rescuer and advocate who is the Pets for Life community outreach manager for the Leech Lake Tribal Police.
- David Wise: Growing Good MedicineWe speak with David Wise, descendant of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and founder of Native Wise, a farm which is focused on soil health, restorative farming and Indigenous agricultural practices.
- Wendy Roy: Beading as HealingToday, we are excited to speak with Wendy Roy, a beader and entrepreneur from the White Earth Nation. She mentors other artists and also teaches at White Earth Tribal and Community College.