[Note from columnist Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz, J.D.: Since we recently celebrated Father’s Day, I thought it would be appropriate to showcase a father, Dodjie Simon, who wrote this essay about his daughter, Grace Ysabel Simon, for my column this week]
“BREAKTHROUGHS happen when raw talent is greeted with appreciation, recognition and encouragement. Parents and siblings who say, ‘Wow, that’s a beautiful artwork.’ Teachers who give us encouraging words like, ‘That’s an excellent idea. Go for it.’ Classmates who greet us in the hallway with ‘I really love your painting or drawing.’ Friends who show their wide-eyed fascination over our artwork. Every encouraging word is fuel to our artistic engine.” – Ysabel Grace Simon, 2016.
Ysabel Grace Simon thinks she is just an ordinary teenager who lives in New York City.
This 18 year old Filipina is nowhere near ordinary.
For one, Ysabel or “Y” to classmates, attends the prestigious La Guardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts (La Guardia HS). This school requires each applicant to demonstrate strong academic record and go through a highly competitive audition. Parents in NYC prepare their children as early as 5 years old for the La Guardia HS auditions. Ysabel only had one summer to prepare for it.
Throughout high school, this young Filipina maintained strong academic performance (GPA of 94/100) and continued to wow both faculty and students with her artworks (drawings, sculptures and recently, oil paintings) consistently making it to the La Guardia semi-annual art exhibits.
When Ysabel was a third year student, while attending an awarding ceremony for graduating seniors, she was surprised to be given the James Bama Award for Realistic Art.
During her senior year, as part of the high school curriculum she tried oil painting for the first time.
She embarked on a theme around idiosyncrasies of her close relatives and family members.
Her first painting “Tito” is about her uncle, Rev. Eleazar Simon, who has a habit of looking at his fingernails in a unique way.
Her second painting entitled “Tinik” is about her maternal grandmother, Rosita Nazal.
In a parent-teacher meeting, Ysabel’s art teacher, Mrs. Lombardi, excitedly mentioned to Ysabel’s parents that she has “big plans” for Ysabel’s paintings.
Weeks later, the painting “Tinik” was submitted to the annual PS Arts competition sponsored by the NY Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met).
Ysabel’s painting won the PS Arts 2016 competition together with several other artworks that are now on display at The Met until October 23, 2016.
On June 22, Ysabel delivered a speech at the NYC Times Square Plaza (Military Island, in front of Hard Rock Cafe) on behalf of the secondary school students.
In her speech, Ysabel thanked all the parents, siblings, teachers, school administrators, The Met, PS Arts organizers and the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC) for the recognition and encouragement they have given to budding artists like her. She said, “Every encouraging word is fuel to our artistic engine.” (Full text of her speech can be found at the bottom of this column).
For several days after June 22, images of “Tinik” and 20 other artworks were shown on the Times Square big electronic screens for first three minutes every top of the hour.
This showcase of selected PS Arts 2016 winners on big screens at Times Square was made possible through The Met’s cooperation with the Times Square Advertising Coalition (TSAC). A panel of arts specialists from the Department of Education and Studio in a School selected 420 semifinalists from 1,205 submissions. A jury of distinguished members of the New York City arts community, including staff of The Met, chose the works on display in P.S. Art 2016.
Ysabel Simon shared the speech she gave at Times Square:
Breakthroughs happen when raw talent is greeted with appreciation, recognition and encouragement.
Parents and siblings who say, “Wow, that’s a beautiful artwork.”
Teachers who give us encouraging words like, “That’s an excellent idea. Go for it.”
Classmates who greet us in the hallway with “I really love your painting or drawing.”
Friends who show their wide-eyed fascination over our artwork.
Every encouraging word is fuel to our artistic engine.
And so as we celebrate the creativity of New York City’s budding artists like myself, we say to you our parents, siblings, teachers, classmates and friends: “Thank you for every word of encouragement that you have given us. It is a gift that we will treasure in our hearts and minds forever.
And to the PS Arts 2016 organizers and sponsors, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, and TSAC, we are deeply grateful to all of you.
–
Dodjie Simon is the father of Grace Ysabel Simon. He is a music composer and lyricist of many popular songs, like “Kung Alam Mo Lang,” “Buti Na Lang,” “Can Find No Reason,” “Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Can’t Find the Reason,” “Close Your Eyes,” “Hanggang Kailan,” “Hintay Hintay,” “If I Could,” “ikaw lamang,” “Isang Dugo Isang Lahi Isang Musika,” “Kahit Minsan,” “Kung Alam Mo Lang,” “Langit Ka Kaligayahan Ko,” “Larawan,” “Pangako,” “Till the End,” “To Love Again,” “You Lift Me Up,” and “Can’t Stop Loving You.” These songs were sung by Lani Misalucha, Martin Nievera, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Jed Madela, Louie Heredia, Jay R, and many more. He is the Vice President and Technology Lead for Enterprise Data Management, American International Group, Inc.