ACRS joins Wing Luke Museum exhibit exploring mental health and healing in A&NH/PI communities
New exhibition, Ripples and Waves, highlights community stories, cultural identity and the importance of connection and care.
Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) joined community members and partners at the Wing Luke Museum on November 5 for the opening of Ripples and Waves, a new exhibition exploring mental health, identity, resilience and healing in Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (A&NH/PI) communities.
ACRS is among the community organizations that partnered with the museum to help bring important perspectives and experiences to the exhibition.
As part of the project, several ACRS Behavioral Health staff members participated in video interviews, sharing insights from their work supporting individuals and families across diverse cultural and linguistic communities. Edited interviews featuring their perspectives are expected to be incorporated into the exhibition.
Through interactive displays, personal stories and community voices, Ripples and Waves invites visitors to explore the complexities of mental health and the ways culture, history and community shape our understanding of wellness.
Among the exhibition’s displays are Silence, Stigma and Support, which invites reflection on the barriers that can make conversations about mental health difficult, and Taking Care: Organizations and Traditions, which highlights the role of community organizations and cultural practices in supporting well-being.
Other installations include How Are You Feeling?, featuring psychologist Robert Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions, and Mapping History & Migration as Politicized Healing, which connects experiences of migration and history with conversations about healing. Throughout the exhibition, reflections from community members offer personal perspectives on their mental health journeys.
Together, these stories and displays underscore that mental health is shaped not only by individual experiences, but also by family, culture, history and the communities we call home.
For many A&NHPI communities, stigma surrounding mental health, language barriers and cultural expectations can make seeking support especially challenging. Creating spaces where people can share their experiences and see their stories reflected can help foster understanding, reduce isolation and encourage conversations about mental health.
At ACRS, culturally responsive, linguistically accessible behavioral health services are central to helping individuals and families find support in ways that honor their identities, experiences and cultural backgrounds.
ACRS is grateful to the Wing Luke Museum for creating a space where these stories can be shared, community voices can be heard, and conversations about mental health and healing can continue.
Visit the exhibition
Ripples and Waves is on view through July 11, 2027, at the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.
We encourage community members to visit the exhibition, explore its stories and perspectives, and reflect on the many ways we can support mental health and well-being together.
