Derek Dizon is a Filipino-American social worker who runs an art business named Sad Ancestor. Though he was born and raised in Seattle, his family’s immigration to the United States did not occur in a straight line. Since his great-grandfather returned to his family in the northern Phillippines after his time in Seattle working as an exploited laborer, Dizon’s grandmother was Seattle-bound. When Derek was five years old, his mother was murdered by a defendant in a domestic violence case while representing his wife; a pinnacle moment that has influenced both his art and social work. At the UW graduate school of Social Work, Dizon focused on grief therapy, incorporating his personal experiences and intergenerational trauma into his practice. Over time, he’s learned that grief does not always have to be a completely sad experience; it can be deeply cathartic, fulfilling, joyous even. His art – though it is described as “sad” – seeks to represent this more nuanced approach to grief. By using different materials and modes of representation, Dizon brings to life the feelings we might have towards our long lost ancestors, and grief’s role as a medium between these ever-ongoing relationships. In the following video, Dizon showcased his work at a monthly art show at the Central District Ice Cream Company on Sunday, Nov. 18.