Pacific-Asian Smithsonian Exhibit Visits ‘Imiloa

As the only state with an Asian plurality, Hawai‘i lives and breathes its diverse Asian Pacific heritage every day, but a Smithsonian exhibition opening at the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center this week will offer perspectives on our local heritage within the broader context of the entire nation.

That’s how an ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center announcement describes the opening of the new traveling Smithsonian exhibit, “I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story,” opening at the Astronomy Center in Hilo this Saturday, March 22, running through June 1, as part of a 13-city national tour.

In this first exhibition of its kind, the Smithsonian celebrates Asian-Pacific and American history across a multitude of diverse cultures and explores how Asian-Pacific Americans have shaped — and been shaped — by the course of the nation’s history, said the release, which described the exhibit’s “compelling stories and images,” and “the sweeping look at this history from the first Asian immigrants centuries ago to the complex challenges facing Asian Pacific American communities today.”

“I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story” was created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibition is supported by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and its ‘Imiloa presentation supported by the Dorrance Scholarship Charitable Fund.

Admission to the exhibit will be included in ‘Imiloa’s general admission fee, which also includes entry to the exhibit hall and a planetarium show. ‘Imiloa is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays). Visit the website at www.imiloahawaii.org.