N E W S
The First Permanent Sikh Arts Exhibit

April 13, 2003
San Francisco, CA

The Sikh Art Gallery is an achievement of the Sikh Foundation. Its chairman by Narinder Singh donated $500,000 to the museum and nearly one hundred works of Sikh art from his private collection. The gallery is named in honor of his wife Satinder Kaur.

The Sikh Art Gallery opened with much fanfare on April 5, 2003. The occasion was celebrated with a morning Seminar on Sikh Arts and an evening Banquet. The sold-out banquet was attended by approximately 250 guests.

The Sikh exhibit shares space with other exhibits on the top floor of the newly completed Asian Art Museum. The collection is modest with seven paintings and four artifacts including Ranjit Singh's ring, his decorated keepsake box, an iron and gold helmet with chain mail neck guard, and a battle standard (flag).

Narinder Singh has also finalized an agreement with the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History to loan Sikh arts objects from his collection for a period of five years. This will be a long-term exhibition called "Heritage of the Sikhs." According to Paul Taylor of the Smithsonian, this exhibit is expected to be larger and more interactive. He mentioned that kids would enjoy the interactivity. The Smithsonian exhibit is expected to open by 2005.

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