Representing Sikhs and Sikhi in Museum Spaces – Tejpaul Singh Bainiwal and Tauna Coulson

Spring 2023

Abstract

This paper provides a dual perspective on an exhibit of Sikh art from the Kapany Collection that
was curated at the Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery at the University of California, Santa Cruz, from
January to March 2022. The collection was donated to the Sikh Foundation International by Dr.
Narinder Singh Kapany, a scientist, entrepreneur and art collector. The exhibit was a collaboration
between the Foundation and the University, and was accompanied by an educational exhibit on the
history of Sikhs in the United States, particularly California. This paper has two parts. First, Tauna
Coulson, a professional art curator, describes her experiences of curating the exhibit. In the second
part, Tejpaul Singh Bainiwal, co-founder of the Sikh American History Project, provides a broader
perspective and analysis on the question of representing Sikhs and the Sikh tradition in museum
spaces, along with a commentary on this particular effort.

Keywords: Sikhs, Sikh art, museums, minority representation, education

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By Tejpaul Singh Bainiwal and Tauna Coulson

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