Art Through Jimmy Reagan's Eyes

Jimmy Reagan turned to art to find his voice. The other thing he found: buyers.

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Creativity runs in Peg Schneeman Reagan’s family. Her grandmother was a fashion illustrator for the Pioneer Press; her uncle, George Schneeman, was an acclaimed painter in New York City; and Jimmy Reagan, her 26-year-old son, is a contemporary artist whose paintings hang next to Picassos and Seurats.

Jimmy, an independent, healthy toddler, abruptly lost his communication skills and was diagnosed with regressive-onset autism at age 2. Around the same time, he grew profoundly sick with mast cell disease—a chronic autoimmune disorder that causes myriad gastrointestinal issues. As his condition worsened, it was nearly impossible for Jimmy to follow a schedule and complete tasks. Knowing he needed to make a change, his parents withdrew him from the eighth grade to enroll in a home-based school program.

As Peg considered options for her son, she thought about the art projects she had set up for her kids as a way to cope with cabin fever when they were young. After approaching an art professor and artist to help figure out new methods of engagement with Jimmy, they discovered he had an innate talent for drawing.

Peg’s new curriculum centered on Jimmy’s interest in art and included visits to museums in order to study painters—Jasper Johns, Van Gogh, Picasso—and give him a more immersive exposure to art history. Even geography had a connection to art—Jimmy would use T-shirts as canvases and draw places that were important to him and study where artists lived.

Eventually, Jimmy swapped T-shirts for real canvases, and pencils for acrylic paints. He looked to National Geographic for inspiration and created pieces that reflected his unique perspectives of animals and people. Then, he broadened his strokes and tried his hand at self-portraits, family portraits, and even portraits of  Peanuts characters. Peg noticed that many of the works depicted subjects with a clear, sometimes strikingly direct gaze—even though Jimmy struggled with eye contact.

Art became an avenue of communication for Jimmy Reagan. One day, when he was painting a rather melancholy portrait, his mother could tell he was frustrated. The face resembled an undone jigsaw puzzle, the bold colors were swirled together chaotically, and his signature was written upside down. Jimmy pointed to the name of the piece, which was written on the back: “FACE-sick.” Peg knew something wasn’t right and asked if he needed to see his doctor. Jimmy said yes.

When he was 16, the Reagans filled their Mendota Heights home with his pieces and hosted a party for his doctors and donors at the University of Minnesota Autism Spectrum and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Clinic. One of the doctors asked Peg if she was sponsoring a local artist. When Peg told her the works were actually Jimmy’s, the doctor  said, “I’ll never think of him the same.”

Before long, people were inquiring about Jimmy’s pastels. “It started to take on a life of its own,” says Peg. She remembers the day she received a call from a Santa Monica gallery curator looking to showcase works by established contemporary artists. “I couldn’t believe he was referring to my son.”

Today, Jimmy’s art graces the walls of galleries and exhibitions around the globe—from The Gallery Minneapolis at Le Méridien Chambers to the LA Art Show Modern + Contemporary and Milan’s ArtExpo. In 2012, Jimmy was the featured artist at the University of Minnesota’s WineFest. There, his painting, Cafe at Night, sold for $7,500. 

Some of his most iconic works are printed and reimagined into clothing and accessories—umbrellas, headbands, leggings, bags, bow ties, and hoodies. We lucky locals can find them at MartinPatrick3, the Grand Hand Gallery, and the store at the Minnesota History Center, and online at throughjimmyseyes.com.

According to Peg, Jimmy has discovered his calling. Whenever he notices he’s different from others, she reminds him that it’s good to be different because it distinguishes him as an artist. “Everything we do is intended to support Jim,” says Peg, who set up Through Jimmy’s Eyes, a company owned by a special needs trust, to ensure he has resources for his future. “Everyone wants their children to be happy and healthy, to contribute to their community and do things that impact people positively. Jimmy is doing exactly that.”