Obituary: NCA founder principal passes away

When Pakistan decided to upgrade the Mayo School of Arts, Prof Sponenburgh was assigned the responsibility.

ISLAMABAD: Mark Writter Sponenburgh, the founder principal of the NCA in Lahore, passed away at the age of 95 in his home at Seal Rock, Oregon, USA on Thursday, December 6. In 1958, when the Government of Pakistan decided to upgrade the Mayo School of Arts, Prof Sponenburgh was assigned the responsibility. He redesigned the academic structure and gave a new life to the then 75-year-old institution. Prof Sponenburgh, a sculptor, exhibited his work across the world. He received a Fulbright research fellowship and worked at the American Research Centre in Cairo. He came to Pakistan and taught for two years. He also served as dean of the Oregon State University – where he was named Professor Emeritus in 1984 – and was a visiting professor at the Royal College of Arts, London.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2012.