PHOENIX, AZ.- Phoenix Art Museum recently commemorated the official naming of a gallery space that is dedicated to exhibiting Sikh art. Amada Cruz, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum, and the Board of Trustees presented the naming of the Dr. Darshan Singh and Ajit Kaur Khanuja and Mr. Jaswant Singh and Mohinder Kaur Sikh Art Gallery, made possible through a generous gift from Dr. Parvinderjit Singh Khanuja. This gallery space is the second exhibit space in the United States to focus exclusively on displaying Sikh art. The inaugural exhibition in the gallery, Virtue and Valor: Sikh Art and Heritage, opened April 15, 2017 and will be on view through November 5, 2017.

“We are grateful to the Khanuja family for sharing these treasures with us,” said Amada Cruz, the Sybil Harrington Director and CEO of Phoenix Art Museum. “It is a privilege to broaden the scope of our Art of Asia Gallery with rare objects, an opportunity made possible through the generosity and community-mindedness of collectors like the Khanuja family. We look forward to sharing this unique experience with our visitors.”

Dr. Khanuja’s donation for a named space in the Museum’s Art of Asia Gallery allows Phoenix Art Museum to present Sikh art on an ongoing basis. Originally from India, Dr. Khanuja is an oncologist and researcher who practices in Chandler and Mesa. He and his wife, Parveen, are members of Phoenix Art Museum’s Director’s Circle and Asian Arts Council. They also have a personal collection of Sikh art and are dedicated to enhancing cultural awareness of Sikhism.

“Our [Sikh Art Gallery] is designed to stimulate the mind and advance cultural awareness,” said Dr. Khanuja. “It is about the love of seeing schoolchildren experience art for the first time. To be in the presence of art is good for the soul.”

With more than 23 million followers, Sikhism is now the fifth-largest religion in the world. Guru Nanak (1469-1539), the founder who lived in the Punjab region of India (which includes today’s north India and Pakistan), set out the devotional path that God is One and all creation is equal, without distinction by caste, creed, race, gender or station in life. Since its founding, Sikhism has grown to include followers on all inhabited continents. Sikhs have played important roles throughout world history, notably as Khalsa, the pure and saintly soldiers of righteousness who were an integral part of the British Empire in India. In the late 19th century, many Sikhs emigrated to the US and Canada and have since integrated into many Western countries.

The gallery’s opening exhibition, Virtue and Valor: Sikh Art and Heritage, traverses a visual journey of Sikh religion and history. Portraits of the gurus, the founders of Sikhism, reflect the meticulous style of traditional Indian painting, and are exhibited alongside religious texts with images painted by both Indian and European artists. Photographs recording the Sikh military presence in British India, as well as the more recent Sikh diaspora in North America, are on view, as well as various implements of war including swords, medals, and a helmet and shield.