Sam, will share the story that lead to writing “Following My Spirit Home”, his stories on Ojibwe Culture, Nature Conservation, storytelling, and painting.
Sam Zimmerman began to participate in juried and solo exhibitions in 2000 after immediately receiving his BFA in Studio Art from the Rochester Institute of Technology. His painting became a part-time activity while he worked as Special Education and school administrator for the past 18 years. With a recent exploration of the Alaskan frontier and northern Canada, he rededicated himself to painting with a ferocity that had been absent since his earlier studio days, completing an entirely new body of work over the last two years.
With his relocation from the East Coast to Duluth, his work focuses on exploring his Ojibwe heritage primarily preserving shared oral histories and reimagining the symbolism of the clan animals while incorporating the natural landscape of Lake Superior’s North Shore. His work is infused with the color theories of the abstract and expressionism movements and is currently in private collections both in the United States and abroad. Sam focuses on continuing the Anishinabee tradition of storytelling while also focusing on the theme of environmental stewardship of the North Shore.
His work can currently be viewed at Lizzards and AICHO – Indigenous First galleries in Duluth, MN and Superior Finds in Two Harbors, and Joy and Company in Grand Marais. To follow his studio projects and current creations, visit Instagram at CraneSuperior.
