A unique eye for art

NEW ULM -- The Grand Center for Arts and Culture is holding an opening reception for an artist whose work has been displayed across the globe.

Jimmy Reagan's exhibit "Through Jimmy's Eyes: Art as Communication" will have its opening reception 7-9 p.m. Postcards, bags, ties and more with Jimmy's distinctive "tick mark" patterns on them will be for sale during the reception.

Jimmy's art is brightly colored. Short, colorful marks he calls tick marks are a common image, often as a background.

The 23-year-old artist started producing works in 2009. His artistic path was started in part due to challenges he faced with two diagnosis: autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS).

Jimmy was taken out of school because he was suffering chronic illnesses that would later be diagnosed as MCAS. MCAS is a problem with mast cells, which function in part as a regulator for the immune system.

Mast cells become too easily triggered, releasing "mediators." Peg Reagan, Jimmy's mother, described the results as Jimmy being allergic to almost everything.

ASD on the other hand is a developmental disorder. It is characterized by repetitive behaviors, refusal to make eye contact and difficulty in social interactions such as carrying on conversations, among others, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

"His tutor suggested we attempt to do school work via art because Jim has a lot of language issues so conversational language is really kind of nonexistent for him," Peg said. "So she felt that visual learning would be a better option."

He began using colored pencils and pastels. The first piece Peg framed is a tick mark recreation of Vincent Van Gogh's "Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat." Van Gogh is one artist who has been influential on Jimmy.

While ASD has limited Jimmy's ability to communicate verbally, he is still capable of understanding what people say, Peg said. She argues that ASD has helped Jimmy make impressive art.

"I think he is more visually acute," Reagan said. "He sees things clearly in a different way. He sees color in a different way, he sees things that other people do not see."

Her idea is likely accurate. A study by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that 46 percent of children with ASD are of above average intelligence. Other strengths in people with ASD, according to the NIMH, are an ability to learn and remember details for long periods of time, strong visual and auditory learning and excellence in math, science, music or art.

Jimmy realized he was different from mainstream children around the age of 6, Peg said. He began saying "you are different from the rest" in a panicked way. Eventually, when he was around 17 or 18, Peg responded with a perspective-changing observation.

"I said 'you are, and you know what, if you weren't, nobody would care about your artwork because you would be the same, you would not stand out, it would not be unique,'" Peg said.

Peg said Jimmy's ASD allows him greater freedom in his work. She argued most artists are limited in some ways by external pressures of society.

"I think the autism actually gives him the freedom to say 'it does not really matter what you think, because I am going to do what I see and what I think,'" Reagan said. "I think there is an authenticity about the artwork as a result of that."

Jimmy's exhibit is sponsored by the New Ulm Area Foundation (NUAF). They sponsored him because of his art as well as Jimmy's familial connection with New Ulm, administrator Nancy Quam said.

Jimmy's work will be on exhibit until July 21. Regular hours of The Grand are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Connor Cummiskey can be emailed at ccummiskey@nujournal.com.