MUSEUM SERVICES
At Ihsan Ishan Design, we help museums create deeper understanding and meaningful connection through art, design, and storytelling.
Founder Sangeetha Kowsik, Creative Director, Hindu Chaplain, Islamic/ Arabic calligrapher, and former Head Designer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art brings rare lived knowledge, unique and spiritual insights, and scholarly experience to museums, universities, and institutions worldwide.
Sangeetha’s father built three Hindu temples in the United States, including the very first. Raised within temple architecture, ritual practice, and devotional arts, she has lifelong immersion in Eastern faith traditions.
She is also trained in Indian classical music and dance, giving her deep understanding of the importance of performing arts within sacred and cultural spaces
Grounded in lifelong engagement with Eastern faiths, global travel, art history, temple architecture, and lived religious practice, her work provides context often missing from traditional interpretations.
Renowned for her engaging tours, lectures, and workshops, Sangeetha brings objects to life through storytelling sharing histories, philosophies, and lived narratives that make collections accessible, relevant, and deeply human for diverse audiences. She explains the spiritual, historical, and cultural significance of art objects with clarity, sensitivity, and care, creating deeper understanding and appreciation for global faiths and cultures
These services support accurate representation, informed interpretation, and inclusive storytelling, helping institutions engage audiences with greater depth, respect, and understanding.
What We Offer
Lectures: Explore the deeper meanings of art and artifacts,
uncovering their cultural, historical, and spiritual contexts.Workshops: Interactive sessions that educate and inspire,
connecting museum visitors with the stories behind sacred art.Advisory Services: Expert consultation on curation, interpretation,
and representation to ensure inclusivity and authenticity.Design & Development : Custom design and development for exhibitions, museum merchandise, donor gifts, and more.
Our programs enhance museum experiences by creating greater appreciation for global traditions, celebrating diversity, and creating meaningful connections between communities and cultures.
Partner with us to bring new depth and understanding to your museum’s exhibitions and programming.
Taking Dr. John Guy, Curator of the South Asian Art Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, along with museum docents, to the NY Ganesha Temple for the high holiday of Vijayadasami. They experienced traditional South Indian temple architecture, observed puja (prayer rituals), and heard the ancient temple instruments, the nadaswaram and thavil, which are rarely encountered outside of India. When museums engage directly with living faith practices, it deepens their understanding of Hindu art objects and allows them to interpret and present these works with greater context, accuracy, and depth.
Providing insights into the spiritual and cultural significance of art objects. She explains, for instance, the symbolism behind the forms of Lord Ganesha or Lord Nandi and the faith based roots of Indian Classical Music traditions. Her approach deepens appreciation and understanding of global faiths and cultures.
Leading a tour and delivering a lecture on Islamic Art for the Islamic Center (Mosque) of NYU at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Islamic Art Galleries.
Educational and Creative Workshop: Teaching middle school students from the Bronx how to draw Hindu and Buddhist Deities, exploring the spiritual significance of their physical attributes, followed by a guided tour at the Rubin Museum of Art.
Ihsan Ishan Design collaborates with esteemed curators to transform
ancient artwork into modern merchandise for exhibitions,
museum shops, donor gifts, and more.
Our designs honor the artwork's cultural, historical, and spiritual significance while seamlessly blending tradition with contemporary aesthetics, resulting in unique concepts and meaningful stories behind each piece.
“The Musical Instruments department (at the Met) appreciated her enthusiasm for art history and objects and valued her insights into their spiritual significance in Eastern religions like Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Islam. She was a pleasure to work with.”