Close X
Sunday, January 12, 2025
ADVT 
National

Artist and activist Joe Average dies at 67, after life as vivid as his paintings

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 30 Dec, 2024 05:10 PM
  • Artist and activist Joe Average dies at 67, after life as vivid as his paintings

Vancouver's Joe Average was an artist, advocate and activist whose bright, multicoloured images were as multi-faceted as his existence.

But his sister Karin Carson says she used to giggle about his fame and always called him by Brock, his given name. 

Carson, who lives in Falkland, B.C., outside Vernon, said her brother died peacefully in his home on Christmas Eve, frail from the medications he needed to manage his HIV-positive status, a condition he lived with for four decades. 

Average, who was 67, was an advocate for people living with HIV and terminal illnesses, as well as marriage equality and LGBTQ+ rights. 

His vivid pop-style art has been a part of Vancouver's cityscape since the 1980s, according to the citation for the Order of Canada, which he received on Dec. 12, adding to the Order of B.C. he received in 2021. 

His death wasn't unexpected, Carson said, but she didn't think it would happen so quickly, less than two weeks after he'd been in Ottawa. 

"We Facetimed at least once a day, every day, sometimes 10 times a day," she said. "His goal was to get the Order of Canada, and then he had told me once he had got that, he was done." 

Carson said her brother was full of "unconditional love," and she'll remember him most for his thoughtfulness and compassion for others, a legacy she said will live on forever through his artwork. 

"That's why it was so bright," she said. "The majority of his art is bright and colourful. It makes you smile, it brings a smile to your heart and your soul." 

Average, who was born Brock David Tebbutt in 1957 in Victoria, was diagnosed with HIV at 27 years old, at a time when the diagnosis was widely considered a death sentence. 

But instead the diagnosis shaped his life, as he advocated for others with HIV, shared his personal story, and donated his art to charities supporting people with terminal illnesses, his Order of Canada citation says. 

It says he was "a revered Vancouver artist, human rights activist and philanthropist."

Among his works, Average designed a Loonie celebrating marriage equality for the Royal Canadian Mint, while his famous "One World, One Hope" painting was turned into a postage stamp.

Carson said that after her brother's HIV diagnosis, he was "not given very long" to live, but "he beat the odds." 

"He brought AIDS to the limelight," she said. "When people first got it, people didn't touch them. People didn't want to be in the same rooms. They were pariahs and it's not like that anymore. His legacy is it's OK to be who you are and to be loved for whoever you are." 

Dr. Julio Montaner, executive director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, said he met Average as a patient sometime in the late 80s or early 90s. 

Montaner said he worked closely with Average, who had been diagnosed when there was limited understanding about how to treat and manage the virus. He said he met with Average continually as they worked on an effective treatment regimen. 

"Eventually we found a way forward and he would have been the first to tell you that despite many scars and a lot of struggles, he got his wish to live to an old age and enjoy himself just as much as anybody else," Montaner said. 

Montaner said it was in 1996 when Vancouver hosted the International Aids Conference, and Average's painting "One World, One Hope" came to symbolize the progress made in solving "the problem that was HIV at the time."

Montaner said news of Average's death brought sadness and "mixed emotions."

"I've been a little bit under the weather all day thinking about Joe, but at the same time, he made it quite a long while, far, far beyond what he ever thought that was possible, and for that we're grateful," Montaner said. 

He said he'd last seen Average on Dec. 3, ahead of his visit to Ottawa to receive the Order of Canada, and Montaner said he'd never seen him happier. 

He loved life deeply and profoundly," he said. "His paintings show that." 

Michael Harding said he first met Joe Average, then still known as Brock Tebbutt, in 1983 while working as an art gallery curator in Victoria. 

Harding was "very impressed" by the young artist's work, and steered him away from exhibiting in commercial galleries that took large percentages of sales. 

He said after being diagnosed, Average's work "took off" as he began championing philanthropic causes related to HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ issues. 

"His work also changed. He started off doing kind of pastels and then he went into these vivid paintings that people tend to recognize as his work now," he said. "And the word got out that this philanthropic young artist was doing beautiful work of great quality and being generous with it." 

Harding said a "big highlight" for Average was meeting Diana, then Princess of Wales, at her request when she visited Canada in 1991, and his career continued to blossom as he became a public champion in the fight against AIDS. 

"He really became a spokesperson in many ways for the fight against AIDS, but also for the value of creativity, because creativity pretty well kept him alive," Harding said. 

Harding said he and Average travelled to Ottawa together for the Order of Canada ceremony this month. 

"He was ecstatic. He was just shining," Harding said. "It was just an accolade that put the cherry on the top of his life."

"And what a way to go, to get the Order of Canada and then to go to sleep on Christmas Eve and off you go. No pain, you know? Beautiful."

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. charities worried Canada Post strike will affect fundraising efforts

B.C. charities worried Canada Post strike will affect fundraising efforts
Some B.C. charities and not-for-profits said they are worried the Canada Post strike will jeopardize their year-end fundraising efforts. Nicole Mucci, a spokeswoman for Union Gospel Mission in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, said 50 per cent of the organization's revenue normally comes between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and a mail strike at this time of the year is "detrimental" since so many donations come in the mail. 

B.C. charities worried Canada Post strike will affect fundraising efforts

Trudeau says he could have acted faster on immigration changes, blames 'bad actors'

Trudeau says he could have acted faster on immigration changes, blames 'bad actors'
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government could have acted faster on reining in immigration programs, after blaming "bad actors" for gaming the system. Trudeau released a nearly seven-minute video on YouTube Sunday talking about the recent reduction in permanent residents being admitted to Canada and changes to the temporary foreign worker program. 

Trudeau says he could have acted faster on immigration changes, blames 'bad actors'

2 bystanders pepper-sprayed in Metrotown

2 bystanders pepper-sprayed in Metrotown
Mounties in Burnaby say two innocent bystanders were reportedly pepper-sprayed by four teenagers in Burnaby over the weekend. Corporal Mike Kalanj with Burnaby R-C-M-P says officers responded to reports of the assault inside the Metrotown shopping centre on Saturday evening. 

2 bystanders pepper-sprayed in Metrotown

Canadians generally optimistic about human rights, despite challenges: poll

Canadians generally optimistic about human rights, despite challenges: poll
Two-thirds of Canadians are optimistic about where human rights are headed in this country, but there is growing pessimism about the state of rights abroad, a new survey found.  The Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg released its second survey on the topic as it seeks to ensure its exhibits match Canadians' concerns. 

Canadians generally optimistic about human rights, despite challenges: poll

Parliament remains gridlocked amid Trump trade talk and postal strike

Parliament remains gridlocked amid Trump trade talk and postal strike
Parliament closes in on its eighth week of gridlock over a privilege motion, as Canada Post employees are on strike and calls emerge to exclude Mexico from upcoming trade talks. While question period has continued, other house business is on hold due to a Conservative privilege motion calling on the government to turn over unredacted documents on a green technology fund.

Parliament remains gridlocked amid Trump trade talk and postal strike

Police say death of young woman found in Halifax Walmart walk-in oven not suspicious

Police say death of young woman found in Halifax Walmart walk-in oven not suspicious
The death of a young Halifax woman whose body was recently found in a Walmart's walk-in oven was not suspicious and did not involve foul play, police said Monday. The death of the 19-year-old employee in the store's bakery was reported on Oct. 19.

Police say death of young woman found in Halifax Walmart walk-in oven not suspicious