Jimi Reinke (1964-2017) was a prolific Madison artist who passed away from cancer in 2017. He earned a B.F.A from UW-Madison and produced a large collection of prints, paintings, drawings, textiles, and sculptures during his life. The subject matter of much of his art is predominantly male nudes, but he also explored female nudes, landscapes, self-portraits, gay erotic imagery, and images of needle user's lives that he sought to improve. In addition, Reinke shared his voice as a gay man and social justice advocate and used his art as a way to raise awareness about life in the LGBTQ+ communities.
Reinke worked for the ARCW (AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin) for 18 years (1999-2017). He provided health and safety training on risks associated with drug injection use. He drove numerous miles around Dane County and Rock County, WI meeting needle users one-on-one and providing them with compassionate care from the "wellness van" through the LifePoint Needle Exchange, a harm reduction prevention service.
This biographical note has been created from materials contained in Series 3, Biographical Materials.
