The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tells us not only that depression is the second leading cause of death among Asian American and Pacific Islander women between 15 and 24 years old, but also that in this age group, Asian Pacific American (APA) women have the highest rate of suicide. These are grim statistics for a stage of youth that many consider the prime of life, yet an exhibit called Inside/Out: APA Girls and Suicide at Seattle’s Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience evokes more hope than despair.

The scale of Inside/Out is not simply small, it is intimate. While the exhibit is packed with information, it is also packed with objects, images, and sounds that encourage visitors to empathize with young APA women.

Upon entering the display, visitors stand beneath a sound dome and listen to what Jessica Rubenacker, exhibit developer for Inside/Out, describes as a "barrage of negative feedback a young APA woman might experience in her daily life." In front of you is a low set of shelves holding cosmetics, clothing, jewelry, shoes, a photo, magazines, and books, both textbooks and leisure reading. Behind you is a bed and a window. There you stand, caught between pressures and treasures.

A series of panels weaves a lot of information into an exhibit that also hits you on a much more emotional level, and the arrangement of Inside/Out juxtaposes the information and emotion, bringing about perspective on an experience that might otherwise be overwhelming. The informational panels, with titles such as "Unravelling the Story," "Seeking Help and Finding Hope," and "Embrace Being Unique from the Inside Out," aren’t dry in the least, but they aren’t easy reading, either. Take your time.

High above the objects and the panels are captioned photographs taken by young women from two community organizations, and these are as diverse as the 16 ethnic groups speaking more than 30 languages that comprise Asian Pacific Americans.

Three in particular might catch your eye, as they did mine. Shoes figure prominently in each. A pair of ballet shoes on a second-floor ledge "are placed over the edge to depict a feeling of being pushed to the limit." A pair of athletic shoes are positioned beside a basketball. "One thing that gives me hope," the photographer wrote, "is playing basketball for my school." A pair of boxing shoes represents friendship: "Though my best friends and I are complete opposites, we fit together perfectly. There could never be just one shoe …"

Resources are included in the exhibit for those who visit in need of help, and there is also a video response request, in which viewers can become a part of Inside/Out if they are so inclined. "The further you get into the exhibit, the more intense and personal it gets," Rubenacker points out. "We leave it up to the visitor how far they are willing to step into it."

The most challenging aspect of Inside/Out may be "Survival Strategies," a pairing of objects in a medicine cabinet and videos with words, pictures, and music by four women. One of these women is Harumi Taniguchi, who originally suggested the idea for the exhibit when she worked at the museum.

"Even in the most radical of spaces," Taniguchi wrote in an e-mail, "we don’t talk about suicide. We don’t talk about self-harm. My hope is that we continue to create community dialogue around suicide and its impact on Asian Pacific Americans. Each life is precious, and we have to figure out how to communicate this better to all our youth."

A source of comfort after so much stirring, and at times unsettling, information and imagery is "We Remember," an altar on which visitors to the display can leave messages or objects in memory or in honor of those who have been affected by suicide. Tea lights on this altar cast a warm glow that seems to give form to the empowering and hopeful message this deeply moving exhibit conveys.

Inside/Out: APA Girls and Suicide is on view at the Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience, located at 719 South King Street in Seattle, through November 18. To learn more, call (206) 623-5124 or visit <www.wingluke.org>.