Wing Luke Museum Presents New Elder’s Exhibit, Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle

SEATTLE, March 19, 2024 (Newswire.com) – The Wing Luke Museum presents Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle: Conversations with Our Elders, a new exhibit focused on elders and the aging process in the AANHPI community. The exhibit takes an end-to-end look at aging, exploring the meaning and evolving roles of elders — from their formative years and the dynamics of aging to a re-imagined future where elders are thriving and living fulfilled lives.

Elders are a rapidly growing demographic in the US, with the US Census Bureau reporting they will outnumber children by 2034. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in six people will be aged 60+ by 2030 and by 2050, the world’s 60+ population will double to 2.1 billion. Census data also shows that Washington State’s population 65 and older, which includes the AANHPI demographic, has increased by 63 percent.

These changes reflect elders as an increasingly important and influential demographic in our communities. Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle creates a timely conversation about elders, their identities and their contributions, while challenging visitors to envision a blueprint for their future.

The exhibit, sponsored by AARP Washington, opens to the general public in the Museum’s New Dialogues Initiative Gallery on April 5. The exhibit closes on Feb. 23, 2025.

As the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older, AARP took interest in the exhibit, both as a sponsor and as a member of the Museum’s signature Community Advisory Committee, an approach that places the community at the center of exhibit creation.

“It was deeply fulfilling to participate in the co-creation process,” says Marguerite Ro, AARP’s Washington State director. “As an organization deeply committed to our older populations, we appreciated the insights gained listening to elder stories and their journeys firsthand. I hope that this exhibit changes attitudes and perceptions about aging in our society, and sheds new light on elders in the AAPI community. I am excited to see how the community responds to it.”

The exhibit asks: “Who are our elders?” “Who can they be?” and “What might a society that honors, values and supports our elders look like?”

“Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle is a love letter to our elders,” says Joël Barraquiel Tan, executive director of the Wing Luke Museum. “This exhibit pays deep respect to them. It elevates their place in our community; it explores their beginnings, examines the lessons they’ve learned during their life journeys and, significantly, challenges us to envisage a new future for our elders.”