Ryan... rest in peace

 

Memorial Planned for Homeless Calgary Artist

When it came to art, Ryan Delve was “flowing and bursting with ideas and aspirations.”

He also wanted to give back to his community at the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre. Two years ago, Delve and another Drop-In Centre client came up with the idea to clean up and beautify the underpass beneath the 5th Avenue flyover in East Village.

The pair started meeting weekly with local artist Mark Vazquez-McKay to come up with a plan for the space, which was known for being a dangerous area of the city. Last May, they finally painted their mural.

“He was funny, he would get so excited, he would sometimes almost turn into a child when he would start talking about art,” recalled Vazquez-McKay.

A little more than a year later, Delve was found dead just steps away from the mural, the victim of a homicide.

“The irony of the whole thing that he was trying to improve the space and he was a victim of the space as well,” said Vazquez-McKay, an instructor at the Alberta College of Art and Design.

He and Wendy Lees, who runs a program called “create! in the East Village” are planning to go to the mural Sunday morning and clean up the area in Delve’s honour.

“I’m hoping that people bring some flowers and stuff and just really try to remind everyone there of what he did,” said Vazquez-McKay. The memorial will be held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. under the 5th Avenue flyover.

Though Delve was committed to his art, he still struggled with poverty, Vazquez-McKay said.

“When I did run into him between sat year and this year, we’d see each other quite a bit just crossing paths,” he recalled.

“He was a complicated person. He had a lot of struggles, of course, as recovering addicts do, but he was trying really hard.”

Vazquez-McKay said he will remember his friend through his art.

“Art was something that [Ryan] grabbed onto,” he said.

“I see it as sort of his legacy.”

Erika Stark, Calgary Herald More from Erika Stark, Calgary Herald

Published on: June 6, 2015, Last Updated: June 6, 2015 8:12 PM MDT

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One of my apprehensions about working where I do is meeting someone who eventually dies unnaturally. Last week it happened. 

Ryan Delve, an artist and resident of the Drop-In Centre (known as the DI) died a few yards away from the mural he helped create.  Just a few yards away from the DI.

I did not know Ryan... only took a few photos of him last year while he helped create the mural ... only spoke with him briefly ... he seemed like a really nice guy. 

Kind of reminded me of my little brother. 

Maybe it was the brother factor or maybe Ryan's friendly manner -- I felt at ease taking photos and chatting with people after dark in a part of the city known for violence.  That same night a stocky First Nations woman sidled up close to warned me, "A guy got beat up just over there." She pointed to the hill above where the new DI mural was being painted. "People get beat up here all the time," she said.

Too close

I wish I took better photos.

Ryan, rest in peace.

 Links:

• Homicide victim was a homeless artist, father - Calgary Herald, June 5, 2015.
• Calgary artist Ryan Delve found dead near Riverfront Ave.  - Calgary Sun, June 5, 2015.
• Victim of homicide in East Village identified as Ryan Edward Delve - CBC, June 4, 2015
• Police rule East Village death a homicide - Global News, June 5, 2015 (video)

Addendum : October 11, 2015

Ryan's friends have set up a memorial for him under the fly-over near the DI where he was killed.  The mural has nothing to do with Ryan and I don't know if it was there before he died, but it seems fitting that a memorial be created there for him.

 

Shooting Memorial, Peace Protest, and Indonesia Gala

An unsettling week.  The killing of two Canadian soldiers on Canadian soil prompted several impromptu memorials across the country.  One soldier in Quebec was struck in a hit-and-run incident, involving a possible Islamic radical. The radical driver was shot and killed by police. Another soldier was shot and killed while standing on guard at the Unknown Soldier memorial in Ottawa.  The shooter was killed while storming the halls of Parliament by the Sargent of Arms. It's not sure if he was a radical (Prime Minister Harper says yes, which would justify his call to war) or emotionally disturbed (as per the shooter's mother).

An impromptu service was held in Calgary in Memorial Park on Saturday for Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, the young soldier shot in Ottawa.  Merle, the organizer, was surprised at the number of people who turned out (about two dozen). There were soldiers in uniform, a local Islamic leader, and Rob Anders (a controversial Member of Parliament).  I wasn't surprised at the response. People draped in flags sang O Canada, listened to speeches, and signed a flag placed on the cenotaph.  I was surprised to see the often missing Anders.  After listening to his cringe-worthy juvenile speech -- "bad guys have guns, good guys should have guns, too" -- I was wishing he was still Missing In Action.

Merle - the memorial organizer

The fellow holding the blue, green and yellow flag said that it represents the northern countries of Africa, which are mostly Muslim, I guess. He also said he couldn't find his Canadian flag.

Rob Anders : "Bad guys have guns.  Good guys should have guns, too."

After lunch I met up with a smaller bunch of local activists holding a peace rally on the corner of 10th Street and Memorial Drive.  When I told one of them about the memorial he was also shocked that Anders was there. Not because of this often being MIA, but because Anders has a reputation for being non-supportive of military veterans.

An interesting side note.  The National Post ran a story about a guy who created a candid-camera-style "social experiment" video where an actor makes racist comments against another actor dressed in Islamic clothes. They were trying to judge how Canadians felt about the shootings in Ottawa.  The "racist" actor wound up getting punched in the nose.

Saturday evening Len, a photographer friend, and I covered an Indonesian Gala.  This was my second time assisting Len with photographing this gala and was familiar with most of the dances. This year they also brought in dancers from Los Angeles and Paris, France and had a young band performing Indonesian pop tunes. Last year it was held in a community hall.  This year it was at the Chinese Cultural Centre, which presented some challenges.  Like the full size stage, meaning the performers were above me most of the time, and the lighting (as usual).  I used mostly the Canon 50D (sometimes with on-camera flash) and a little bit of the Pentax K-5.  I think the K-5 is reaching its lifespan.  At one point the white balance suddenly turned blue then reverted back to AWB. Good thing the K-3 is coming down in price.

A traditional rice ceremony began the Gala.

Bali mask dancers - my favorite.

Nancy Susatyo of Los Angeles

Herman Sitepu of Paris, France

Links:

• Ottawa shooting: A look back at how the week unfolded -- CBC
• Canadian Peace Alliance
• Actor punched in face while making Nathan Cirillo-inspired anti-racism video in Hamilton -- National Post
• Indonesia Gala : A Night to Remember - Canadian Indonesian Social Club

Steven Skyrie

A student of photography learns much from the photographers they hang out with. 

November 2010, I joined a group called Start to Photograph through the Meetup.com website. Soon after joining I met Steven Skyrie, one of the organizers, a musician, and really nice guy.  After every meetup, where we'd go out and shoot stuff, STPers would post their photos to the STP website for critiques.  Everyone had kind comments, but Steven's honest observations were always appreciated.

Steven collapsed in 2011 while walking his Great Danes on Nosehill Park. A tumor.  Brain.  

As much as Steven tried to remain a presence in our group, doing the 366 project in 2012 (where everyday he'd shoot a photo and post it to the STP site), and even teaching one of our Eau Claire classes, eventually it was all too much and he had to bow out.

A memorial service for Steven Skyrie was held on Tuesday October 1st, 2013 at Word of Life Center Calgary.  Work kept me from attending, but I wanted to contribute something to his memory.  

Somewhere there's a Nikon set to infinity. Rest in peace, Steven.

Links:

• Steven Skyrie on Flickr