Talented artist ‘gave back’
Recovering addict hoped for career
The man who was found dead Thursday in East Village struggled with poverty and dreamed of turning his art into a career.
Police have identified him as 43-year-old Ryan Delve. He was found at around 12:30 p.m. near the intersection of Riverfront Avenue and 4th Street S.E.
Though they won’t release the cause, police have determined Delve’s death was a homicide.
Investigators are asking anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area between midnight and noon on Thursday to contact police. They are continuing to review CCTV footage and interview witnesses and associates.
Last summer, Delve was one of two artists who repainted Calgary’s “crack wall,” a popular meeting spot for drug dealers and their customers under the 5th Avenue flyover.
“He was a talented artist who gave back to the com- munity,” said Debbie Newman, the executive director of the Calgary Drop-In and Rehab Centre. “That was important work for him to do.
Delve, a recovering crack cocaine addict, told the Herald that the Possibilities Project, an art program that offers opportunities for visual art, music, theatre and dance, had helped him to stay clean.
“It’s so positive. This is the start of my new career,” he had said.
In 2012, Delve participated in the Gratitude Rocks Project, which featured inspirational words painted onto rocks by artists at the Drop-In Centre.
“If the rock gives somebody strength and happiness, I’m all for it,” Delve said at the time. “I could do it all day long to try to bring some joy to the world.”
The New Gallery’s +15 window at the Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts also featured Delve’s art in 2013.
Though he hadn’t stayed there for many months, Newman said Delve had many friends within the Drop-In Centre. He also leaves behind a teenage daughter.
“Death is something that we see far too often,” she said. “It’s always a very difficult time when we see someone who has enormous talent who didn’t utilize it to his full expectations.”