Sam Zimmerman celebrates North Shore roots in ‘Walking My Ancestors’ Path’
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Artist Sam Zimmerman, who is a descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, returned to Minnesota's North Shore in 2019 after working out of state for years.
"There's nothing that compares to the North Shore. The beauty of it, the ever-changing landscape. Its spirit and personality is so amazing. Even the air changes from Duluth to Cook County,” Zimmerman said.
After returning to Minnesota, Zimmerman released a series of paintings from his first year back home. His newest collection features more than 80 artworks organized by season, accompanied by stories in English and Ojibwe. It’s called “Walking My Ancestors’ Path.”
"My ancestors have walked this shore for hundreds of years, and so this is me following in their footsteps of being back home in northern Minnesota,” he said.
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Zimmerman paints landscapes and animals in bright acrylic colors. He blends styles, including Woodland art, which uses strong outlines, vivid colors and x-ray views of subjects.
"As an Indigenous creator, I use a lot of dots, which isn't unique, but in some ways, they're very abstract,” said Zimmerman.
One painting honors his grandfather. It shows a buck with intricate patterns covering its body.
"It's titled ‘Runs Through the Woods Like Deer’ because that was his Ojibwe name. He was incredibly fast in the woods, and it is a buck running through a winter scene with four pine trees in the background, and those four pine trees represent the number of children that he had. He had four sons. My dad was the youngest,” he said.
The scene also shows a fire tower under a sunset sky filled with oranges and reds. Stars represent the years his grandfather and uncles lived.
Zimmerman said he created the piece to honor the man who taught him the importance of storytelling.
"It allows for traditions and culture and lessons learned to be passed down from elders and others. And so I'm a storyteller using art, and stories are important. They share our history, they share our values,” Zimmerman said.
Those connections to family and community guide his life.
“Having the elders and the community that I have around me, both family and blood and also relationships, has allowed me to walk a path that has helped me grow and learn,” he said.
Zimmerman’s experiences of growth and learning are shared in "Walking My Ancestors' Path."
A book launch event will be held Thursday, Oct. 22 from 6-8 p.m. at Mill City Museum in Minneapolis. The event is free and open to the public.
An accompanying exhibit with paintings featured in Zimmerman’s book will be on display through March 28, 2027, during regular public museum hours.
Chandra Colvin covers Native American communities in Minnesota for MPR News via Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
