Like all old institutions, the
National College of Arts, has a historical tradition. Much of its present tone
was set long when it was known as the Mayo School of Arts. Gazetteers written
about the city of Lahore in 1915 describe the work being done at the school as
one of the cultural highlights of the urban center.
A teacher of painting and
sculpture Lockwood Kipling, working then in Bombay, school of arts and crafts
was appointed its first Principal parallel to his charge of the Curator of the
Lahore Museum.
The Mayo School was intended to
be a technical college in the beginning. Lockwood Kipling the curator-Principal
allowed the functions of the museum and the school to merge in a creative
manner.
The school had proper workshops
equipped with tools and machines. In 1902 four large machine workshops and
photolithographic studio were already functioning. By 1911, nearly a lakh of
rupees worth of machinery and tools were being operated in the school for such
diverse crafts as jewelry, cotton-printing, bookbinding, cabinet making,
light-metal work, carpentry and blacksmithy.
By 1915 the work done at the school
was recognized all over India and also in England. The principal works executed
by its craftsmen were thus located:
Wood-carving, plaster-work and
interior in Barnes Court, Simla; Government House, Lahore; Circuit House,
designs for amphitheater at the Delhi Darbar; execution of decorative work
including carpets and shamianas of gold thread and repusse metal work and
designs for the Law and Oriental Colleges, Lahore; design and decorative work
in plaster for the new Railway Theatre, Lahore; a carved console table for
Government House, Lahore; Punjab carving for the Billiard Room of Bag shot
Park, England for the Duke of Connaught; an eight canon stalls for the Lefory
Memorial in Lahore Cantonment\'s Church.
In 1958 the school was upgraded
by the then West Pakistan Government into the National College of Arts. The
craft and industry oriented structure of the school, which has provided much
needed early nurturance to such diverse occupations as carpentry lacquer-work
btacksmI1~V, goldsmithy, silversmithy, pottery, needlework, architectural
draftsmanship, sanitation, plumbing, civil engineering and commercial art, was
updated and confined to three departments Fine Arts, Design and Architecture.
The changed structure of the
College allowed proper focus on Fine Arts. The department began to train new
talent in modern and traditional painting, graphic art and sculpture. The
Department of Design began to turn out professionals textile design. Publicity
Design, Product Design and Ceramics. The rapidly growing demand in the building
sector for architects began to be met by the College, together with other
professional universities of the country. In 1963, the Government recognized
the College as the premier arts institution in Pakistan, was taken away from
the Department of Industries and placed under the Education Department with its
own Board of Governors. The new policy in 1972 further recognized the
achievements of the college and planned its development into a center of
Excellence in the Visual Arts. A high-powered Board of Governors was
constituted to ensure a measure of autonomy under the Federal Ministry of
Education.
The College specializes in
production of a certain kind of artistic work, which at once satisfies the
creative demands of a work of art and the more pragmatic requirements of a
profession. One of the leading architects of Pakistan, Nayyar Ali Dada, an old
student and a member of the Board of Governors of the College combines the
talents of an architect with facility of drawing.
This capacity of the college
graduates to apply art to specific projects has allowed them to take on
projects in various fields. They have helped design primary school buildings
and produce new building material for construction. They prepared a visual
study of the indigenous architecture of Pakistan for the Aga Khan Award for
Architecture ceremonies, Lahore.
Since 1963 when the present
college was invested with a new arts structure, it has carried courses in three
departments, Architecture, Fine Arts and Design. All these courses are
professional and enable the graduate to relate his talent to the job market.
In 1985, through an ordinance the
college has been granted the status of an autonomous degree awarding
institution and now awards Bachelor Degrees in Fine Arts, Design and
Architecture. The ordinance also empowers the institution to institute
postgraduate programmes in the field of Visual Arts. Some of these programmes
are at the planning stage now. An MA (Hon) in Visual Arts and M.Phil in
Communication and Cultural Studies have started from this year. It is hoped
that post graduate programmers will lead NCA to realize its potential as a
Center for Excellence in Visual arts in Pakistan.
Courtesy: National College of
Arts Lahore
To commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the National College of Arts Lahore Pakistan Post Office is issuing a commemorative Postage stamp of Ps. 5/- denomination on October 28, 2000.
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