Asian American Elder Voices Exhibition

Participants of Jikimee posing for a group portrait

Andria Lo, of Chinatown Pretty, and Roy Chan, of Oakland Chinatown Oral History Project, have collaborated with various East Bay organizations to share the stories of 11 Asian American elders. These portraits and interview highlight their voices and the importance of family, culture, and community building.

This project features portraits and interviews from Jikimee and Lincoln Square Park Stories.

Jikimee

In May 2022, in collaboration with Oakland Asian Cultural Center’s AAPI Elder Voices Project, five elders gathered at The Gardens at Lake Merritt to share a meal and learn more about each other’s stories. They were then asked to identify a flower that sparked joy or a memory.

‘Jikimee’ means ‘community protector’ in Korean. These elders are part of the Jikimee Senior Leadership Program, a group organized by the Korean Community Center of the East Bay.

Lincoln Square Park Stories

Lincoln Square Park Stories celebrates the park’s long history as a community space. It has been an anchor in many peoples’ lives, including the six elders photographed as part of this project.

They each have a lifelong relationship with Lincoln Square Park and have shared their stories in collaboration with Valerie Luu, Friends of Lincoln Square Park and the Cut Fruit Collective in an effort to garner support in preserving the park for generations to come.

About the Asian Resource Center Gallery

Oakland Photo Workshop has been given the opportunity to curate 2 exhibitions for the Asian Resource Center, located at 310 8th St. Oakland, CA 94607.

For this inaugural exhibit, we wanted to highlight artists and organizations who are working to preserve the history of Oakland Chinatown and its residents.

This exhibition is on view on the first floor of the Asian Resource Center until July 28th, 2023. You may enter through the Asian Resource Center weekdays from 9-5p or through Oakland Photo Workshop Fridays and Saturdays 12-6p and Sundays 12-3p.

Thank you to the organizations who made these projects and this exhibition possible. You can find out how to support them by clicking the links below.

Asian Resource Center

Chinatown Pretty

Cut Fruit Collective

East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation

Friends of Lincoln Square Park

Korean Community Center of the East Bay

Oakland Chinatown Oral History Project

Oakland Asian Cultural Center

Thank you to the 11 elders who sat for portraits and shared their stories.

Karen Dea

Weylin Eng

Marie Rivera Yip