Cook County Co-op to feature new outdoor mural by Sam Zimmerman and Adam Swanson this summer
Apr 28, 2025 10:34AM ● By Content Editor
Sam Zimmerman, left, and Adam Swanson, right, will complete an outdoor mural on the Cook County Co-op building this summer. Photos from Facebook
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - April 28, 2025
A collaborative public art project is planned for downtown Grand Marais this summer. Northern Minnesota-based artists Sam Zimmerman and Adam Swanson will create an outdoor mural on the north-facing wall, along First Street, of the Cook County Co-op. Zimmerman, a direct descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, has completed a variety of art projects in the area, including a public art project painting trash barrels around town. He is the author of Following My Spirit Home and co-author of How the Birds Got Their Songs. He writes a monthly column for Northern Wilds and has artwork displayed in various locations, including Grand Portage National Monument and Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center.
Swanson is also known in the area for his work at the Grand Marais Art Colony as a class instructor, his outdoor murals in Duluth, and his participation in the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery and the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota's September Plein Air events. Swanson is based in Cloquet.
Those familiar with each artist's individual work know that their styles are unique and stand on their own, but this will not be the first time the two have worked on a project together. In 2023, Swanson and Zimmerman collaborated on pieces for an exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery, titled "Dark Skies," which celebrated the dark skies of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Swanson told Boreal Community Media that although he can't quite remember how the two met, he believes it may have been through working with Duluth Custom Photo Lab (CPL). "We also have some mutual friends, and I've loved seeing Sam's work pop up around town," he added.
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - April 28, 2025
A collaborative public art project is planned for downtown Grand Marais this summer. Northern Minnesota-based artists Sam Zimmerman and Adam Swanson will create an outdoor mural on the north-facing wall, along First Street, of the Cook County Co-op. Zimmerman, a direct descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, has completed a variety of art projects in the area, including a public art project painting trash barrels around town. He is the author of Following My Spirit Home and co-author of How the Birds Got Their Songs. He writes a monthly column for Northern Wilds and has artwork displayed in various locations, including Grand Portage National Monument and Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center.
Swanson is also known in the area for his work at the Grand Marais Art Colony as a class instructor, his outdoor murals in Duluth, and his participation in the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery and the Outdoor Painters of Minnesota's September Plein Air events. Swanson is based in Cloquet.
Those familiar with each artist's individual work know that their styles are unique and stand on their own, but this will not be the first time the two have worked on a project together. In 2023, Swanson and Zimmerman collaborated on pieces for an exhibit at the Johnson Heritage Post Art Gallery, titled "Dark Skies," which celebrated the dark skies of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Swanson told Boreal Community Media that although he can't quite remember how the two met, he believes it may have been through working with Duluth Custom Photo Lab (CPL). "We also have some mutual friends, and I've loved seeing Sam's work pop up around town," he added.
Zimmerman echoed that statement by saying, "I remember seeing Adam's work at the Lizzards Gallery in Duluth and being amazed by his technique and color use - but the actual meeting moment probably was CPL."
This summer, Swanson and Zimmerman will collaborate on an outdoor mural, which will be located on the north side of the Cook County Co-op.
Co-op Strategic Marketing and Communications Manager Amber Richard said that the idea for the mural began in the "most Cook County way." A staff member, who had recently seen some of Zimmerman's work, came across someone he knew who was shopping at the Co-op, and that person also happened to be Sam's cousin. The two had a conversation, and a short time later, Zimmerman contacted Richard, expressing interest in creating a mural. Because of the size of the "canvas," Sam was open to bringing on a second artist and proposed Swanson.
The mural design will be officially unveiled during a virtual town hall meeting hosted by the Cook County Co-op on May 8. However, both artists spend a lot of time in the area, and shared that their love for the North Shore serves as a source of inspiration for their artwork and the design.
When asked about how they so cohesively blend their unique and individual art styles, Zimmerman said, "Adam's color palette and his brushstrokes are so powerful, filled with intense energy, where I am very controlled on my composition design, so it is an incredible partnership when we create collaboratively." Swanson shared similar sentiments, saying, "Sam is a great storyteller and his work is rich with symbolism and meaning. My work tends to be loose, painterly, and open to interpretation. We both love color and animals and nature. Finding mutual ground is easy, and I always learn a lot when I'm working with Sam."
"For my part, I love and respect Sam's work so it's fairly easy for me to let him shine in the spaces that feel right to him. He does the same for me," he added. Zimmerman said of Swanson, "Adam is such a generous artist and friend and creates a welcoming space to share ideas that push my own creative process. His own love of the natural world and experiences within are exciting and motivate me to bring my best to our activities together."
An outdoor mural is scheduled to be completed this summer on the north side of the Cook County Co-op building, located along First Street. Photo: Cook County Co-op Facebook
Richards shared that the mural will begin and be completed this summer, although the actual start date is weather-dependent. Soon, the area will be prepped (by a company familiar with the building) so that the paint will permanently adhere to the wall, a component of the project on which the artists have also been involved.
"We're really just the facilitators and canvas-providers of this project," Richard said before adding, "We're letting the artists do their artist thing, with the hope that this piece becomes a community point of pride and honors the first peoples of the North Shore."
Swanson and Zimmerman will both be in attendance during the town hall meeting and will be available to answer questions after a short presentation about their styles and visions. They both expressed a shared excitement about working outside this summer, as well as working together.
"I'm excited to spend time painting outside in Grand Marais with Adam and working to create a beautiful public piece from the Grand Marais and Grand Portage communities," Zimmerman said.
The town hall will take place on Thursday, May 8, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Zoom (Passcode: 191680). The session will be recorded and shared as soon as it becomes available.
For more information about Adam Swanson, visit: adamswanson.com
For more information about Sam Zimmerman, visit: facebook.com/cranesuperiorstudio
