Sam Zimmerman served as Community Artist and Educator at Voyageurs National Park

A few years ago, Sam Zimmerman led a project in Grand Marais to take steel barrels once filled with maple syrup and turn them into artfully decorated garbage cans. Sam is pictured here in back. He is wearing a bandanna and a sweatshirt. Sam painted six of the barrels. “There are 36 fish of Lake Superior, six per barrel, that were hand drawn and painted on the barrels,” Zimmerman said. Two of the fish, a sturgeon and paddlefish (Abwijaanzh) are endangered, said Zimmerman. The other fish are walleye (Ogau), Pike (Ginwoozhi), trout (Namegos) and sunfish (Agwadaashi). Staff photo Brian Larsen

This summer, Voyageurs National Park received a vibrant community mural celebrating the park’s waters and skies. With support from Voyageurs Conservancy, Sam Zimmerman served as a Community Artist and Educator in residence in the park. Sam served from June 26 – July 1, 2022.

During his residency, Sam Zimmerman created a community mural on the shorelines of Voyageurs National Park. This mural depicts the unique landscape of the park, share Ojibwe teachings, and offer a space for dialogue.

Sam Zimmerman, a Grand Portage direct descendant, is a painter, author, and educator based in Duluth, Minnesota. Zimmerman draws on his Ojibwe heritage to create vibrant images filled with symbolism. This led Zimmerman to return home to Minnesota to a life of painting, educating, and storytelling on the shores of Lake Superior. He passionately believes in artistic expression as a gateway for education and cultural understanding. His work continues the Anishinaabe tradition of storytelling, with themes of environmental stewardship and conservation through his public art commissions. He has illustrated a series of bilingual children’s books for the Red Cliff Band of Ojibwe schools. Sam has been a recipient of Minnesota State Arts Board, Arrowhead Regional Arts Council, and Duluth Superior Community Foundation awards. His first book, Following My Spirit Home, a collection of paintings and stories celebrating the beauty of the North Shore of Lake Superior was published this past April. His work is currently in private collections both in the United States and abroad. View more of his work at @cranesuperior on Facebook and Instagram.