One of my earliest recollections of Ruby Smith Díaz is of chatting on Commercial Drive over a decade ago and noticing her latest art piece rolled up and sticking, too long, out of the basket of her bicycle. I knew Ruby as a principled and committed community organizer and arts educator but didn’t yet realize how many varied talents burst out of her like a rainbow or an aurora. We had first met through a grassroots migrant justice collective and sometime around this time she gifted me an art piece about migrant justice that was up on my walls for several years.
Sometime later, maybe in 2014, we went for a swim at Second Beach and as we bobbed up and down a few metres from each other in the ice-cold, seaweed-laced saltwater, then dried off in the sun talking on the beach, I understood that she was an incisive thinker, thoughtful, deeply hilarious, and kind.
At this point, I knew of her arts empowerment work with youth, creating imaginary superpower versions of themselves in a world in which racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression didn’t exist. Imagine my surprise when at the then-famed Toast Collective’s Sunday Shortstack, I turned around with my stack of hot pancakes and Ruby was up on the little stage by the windows, playing perfect accordion, singing gorgeously in Spanish.
Vancouver lost Ruby for a little while when she returned to Alberta to be closer to her mom, and I was so glad when she decided to return a few years later, having decided to train and certify as a physical trainer in addition to her other talents. I watched with respect as she completed her certification and began her own training practice, Autonomy Fitness, with what I now understood was her signature strength and determination.
I trained with Ruby on and off for two years. She taught me to lift weights and got me doing squats and using kettlebells. In truth, working out was as much an excuse to hang out with her as it was a way to take care of my health. Her approach to fitness is about building strength and range of movement, honouring and developing the capabilities of one’s body rather than trying to shrink or be small. In a world that tells many oppressed people to shrink and not take up space, Ruby’s approach has helped so many, as it is joyful and body-positive, infused with all of the creativity that she brings to every aspect of her life.
More recently, Ruby let me know that her book Searching for Serafim, about the legendary swimming instructor Serafim “Joe” Fortes, who taught generations of children to swim at Second Beach in the early 20th century, had been accepted for publication by Arsenal Pulp Press. As the book went into final revisions I found myself in the microfilm archives of the Vancouver Public Library, with Ruby on the phone from her home on Vancouver Island, on a shared treasure hunt for those last few hard-to-find references from early 20th century newspaper articles about Serafim. As text messages flew back and forth, and microfilm flew under my fingers, we nailed the last few archived news references needed to complete the manuscript, and I marvelled again at Ruby’s range of thought, even as I was shocked at the patronizing tone of articles used to describe this supposedly beloved figure in Vancouver’s history. Having taught a short story on Fortes in my undergraduate classes I have known of the need for this book, written from a perspective like Ruby’s, on Fortes, for some time, and I can’t wait to use it in class and to see it out in the world. It’s going to fill a very necessary gap, and I’m excited to see what new creative turn Ruby’s life will take next.
-Written by Naava Smolash, English Instructor at Douglas College, and friend
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Which neighbourhood are you in?
I used to live in the Hastings Sunrise neighbourhood on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil Waututh territory, but now I live in the town of Ladysmith, on unceded Stz’uminus territories.
What do you do?
I’m a writer, body-positive personal trainer, educator, and multi-disciplinary artist.
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently in the process of finalizing my debut book, Searching for Serafim, a layered exploration of the life of Vancouver’s first lifeguard, Serafim “Joe” Fortes. In this book, I seek to unravel the complicated legacy of a local legend to learn more about who Fortes was as a person. I draw from historical documents to form a critique of the role that settler colonialism and anti-Black racism played in Fortes’s publicized story and reconstruct his life, from over a century later, through a contemporary Black perspective, weaving poetry and personal reflections alongside archival research. I’m really excited to bring it into the world!
Where can we find your work?
You can find my work at tierranegraarts.ca, autonomyfitness.ca, and @tierranegra_arts on Instagram. You can also hear the soundscape about his life that I created as part of the WEDGE residency with the Contemporary Art Gallery of Vancouver and Groundfloor AC here. My book will be available at local bookstores across Canada on January 28, 2025!
