Dad lost 18-year-old son to gun violence. Now he’s helping fellow bereaved families heal through art.
A dad named Ryan Saavedra lost his 18-year-old son, Ryan, due to gun violence in 2021, per KRQE News. One can’t put into words how shattering the loss might have been. Though a few years have passed since the tragedy, the dad has been trying to get through this loss and grief and the challenges it holds. Like him, many others are mourning, trying to fill a void of their loved ones being snatched away from them in a jiffy. Saavedra found a way to soothe a bit of this pain through art and when he saw the comfort it brought him, he decided to take the kind initiative to other grieving families.
According to Brady United, around 327 people experience gun violence per day. Out of these, 117 people tragically lose their lives. One in five Americans revealed that they had a family member tragically shot. To lose a loved one to a bullet and have your world turned upside down is beyond heartbreaking. Figuring out how to move on, how to grieve and how to live is a heart-wrenching reality. Bereaved loved ones can only try to honor and keep alive the memory of the deceased and Saavedra found a way to do that when he lost his 18-year-old.
“Four years ago, I lost my son Ryan. He was 18. And I’ve been lost and confused and numb and not knowing how to go on with life,” the dad recalled. However, the man had been finding a way to cope through art. “But I’ve always been doing art,” he remarked. Creating skilful murals outside the Wheels Museum, Albuquerque, the dad has begun to find some comfort. When he found peace in his tragic chaos through art, he decided to share it. He asked 10 families and several other volunteers to join him — each of them had lost a loved one to gun violence, too.
“These people are going through the same process that I’m going through. The healing, hurting, depression,” Saveedra explained. Having started two months ago, the dad noticed how the families began to unite. From distinct broken individuals, they started becoming a group bound by strength and support. Sharing a pain and a loss that hit home for each other, they decided healing together wouldn’t be such a bad idea. “Day by day, I would notice the tension was breaking up and they were starting to smile and people were starting to come together. People were sharing their stories,” the dad pointed out.
The art features the city and is a soft tribute to those who are gone. One of the murals captures the city’s first delivery system, wherein a wife hands out a list and the horse and buggy would return with the groceries. It’s simple art, one might even call it everyday depictions but each holds a piece of a loved one's hard work and time, dedicated to honoring their deceased. Matthew Carter, Interim Albuquerque Public Art Program Division Manager, noticed Saavedra's work over the last two months. “Every time I’ve visited, I’m surprised. I’ve been able to see the initial drawings that he’s worked on translate from paper to wall and the story behind those,” he remarked.
The plan is to finish the murals between the New Mexico State Fair and Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta around October, as revealed by Balloon Fiesta. The families also hope to include a memorable painting at the end, featuring the victims' names. Through it all, the dad has a soothing echo that is something the others might be holding on to as well. “When I come here, I feel my son deep down inside me saying, Dad, you need to do this and honor these other people who are hurting,” Saavedra said.