Filipino cited for special art Jeffrey M. Tupas Philippine Daily Inquirer
November 07, 2009
MANILA, Philippines—At the World Down’s Syndrome Congress in Dublin, Ireland, in August, Deanna Sipaco was recognized as a “great advocate for people with Down’s Syndrome” for her contribution to mainstreaming people with the illness through her art.
The posthumous award was received by her parents, lawyer Alberto Sipaco, director of the Commission on Human Rights in Southern Mindanao, and Diana.
Deanna, 30, died from complications of diseases brought about by a heart ailment five years ago.
“Receiving the award on behalf of our daughter brought us a sense of gain. It’s heartwarming that even if she is no longer with us, the world continues to recognize her for what she was and what she brought to other children with the same circumstance as she had,” her mother said.
The award is another achievement for Deanna who, when she was still alive, had the rare chance of holding art shows abroad, including one in Japan in 2003 where she “socialized” with the Crown Prince Nahurito and Princess Masako.
It was during a chat with Princess Masako that Deanna told her about a painting she was to give her.
“I am very happy and proud that even after her death, she is being honored and recognized. There’s an outpouring of happiness,” the mother said.
Diana said the recognition given to her daughter had inspired her and her husband to serve more children with Down’s Syndrome through the DS Foundation, in which Deanna had been a board trustee.
DS stands for Deanna Sipaco. Incidentally, DS also stands for Down’s Syndrome, a genetic disorder caused by extra chromosomes and is commonly associated with impairment of cognitive abilities.
The foundation now serves at least 60 special children, most of them Down’s Syndrome cases. It offers free lessons on visual arts, music, and adaptive sports development for children, and therapeutic, early intervention and guidance services for parents.
The center, along C.M. Recto Street in Davao City, was established on Jan. 29, 2001, Deanna’s 29th birthday. It displays at least 70 of her paintings that look like a kaleidoscopic blast of flowers in vibrant colors, as well as paintings and doodles of children with Down’s Syndrome.
Since she started painting at 9, Deanna was able to sell at least 60 paintings.
“She was the inspiration for the establishment of the foundation. Special children are bound to excel in their crafts, if they are given attention. And I felt that other children who are like her must also be given the attention that we gave her. Their skills must be developed also. Many parents do have the opportunity and capacity to send their children to a center where they are given the appropriate attention,” said Diana.
Diana recounts that her daughter served as “manang (elder sister) to the children and, at the same time, a student.”
“She had her own painting class and her own educator and was always happy when she was being with the children. She interacted with them often and the children adored her,” the mother said.
Her interaction with the children inspired other students to also excel in visual arts. She was so generous to show her art, Diana said.
Even during international conferences, Deanna would gladly introduce herself as the person behind the paintings on the wall, telling them stories behind her works despite her speech problem.
Agnes Togon, a professor at the University of the Immaculate Conception, in her book “Breaking Down Barriers: A Deanna C. Sipaco Story” recalled that during the August 2003 16th Asian Conference on Mental Retardation in Tsukuba, Japan, Deanna “stood before a crowd with obvious enthusiasm and spoke in a most confident manner.”
“She capped her little talk with a very enthusiastic invitation to everyone to visit her painting at the exhibit hall. The audience was in high spirits, they spontaneously responded to the invitation with applause.
Later at the lobby, delegates from different countries warmly greeted her,” wrote Togon, who attended the conference with Deanna.
Other special children, Togon said, called her as “Deanna, the painter.” Daisy, the younger sister of Deanna from whom she first learned her art, said they never treated “Manang Dean-Dean as someone different from us.”
“We knew that she had a condition, but we did not make her feel that she was not like us. And she was not a difficult person. She played with us though she could not run with us,” she said.
“She was an achiever. From among us, she was the achiever. If we think about it, given the chance, we realize that people like her can really overcome their handicap. She really achieved a lot, compared to us,” Daisy said.
“And we were happy for her. She knew and she was conscious that she was an achiever. She would even show her medals to the visitors. When she was abroad, she would even talk to people who are at the exhibit, introduce herself and tell things about her paintings. And we are really proud of her.”
Deanna’s father, Alberto, in his correspondence with Paul Zanon, secretary of the Down Syndrome International (DSI) at the Dr. John Langdon Down Avenue in London, was informed that two of Deanna’s paintings would be displayed at the DSI building.
“We thought it best that they appear in an appropriate place, and with our office being the home of where Dr. John Langdon Down used to live, we believe Deanna’s work will fit in very comfortably,” said Zanon’s e-mail.
(Dr. John Langdon Down is a British doctor known for his classification of what is known as Down’s Syndrome.)
Alberto said he was hoping that the foundation would be able to serve more and more special children.
“The call is for us to continue this because we are on the right track.
The legacy and advocacy left by Dean-Dean must be multiplied. This is the message that I am getting. It was her first international award and this does not only mean a lot for us as her parents but also for other special children,” he said.
“We would like to impart our experiences with Dean-Dean through the foundation. The journey that we had with her, we are going to share this to parents. The support groups of the children in similar circumstances as her—it propelled us to this effort,” he said.
