The National College of Arts Lahore, usually referred to by its acronym NCA, is a famous old college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

 in Lahore

Lahore

Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

.

Like all old institutions, the National College of Arts, has a historical tradition. Much of its present tone was set long ago when it was known as the Mayo School of Arts. Gazetteers written about the city of Lahore

Lahore

Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

 in 1915 describe the work being done at the school as one of the cultural highlights of the urban centre. NCA is one of the best Art Institution in Pakistan as per latest HEC rankings.

History

Founding

The Mayo School of Industrial Art was set up to commemorate Lord Mayo, the British Viceroy of India, who was assassinated in 1872. Lockwood Kipling, a teacher of painting and sculpture working then in a Parsi

Parsi

Parsi or Parsee refers to a member of the larger of the two Zoroastrian communities in South Asia, the other being the Irani community....

 School in Bombay, was appointed its first Principal. Additionally, he was handed over the charge as the Curator of the Lahore Museum.

Department of Architecture

The Department of Architecture a five year course leading to the Bachelor of Architecture (B. Arch.) Degree. Degree course was established in 1985.

The B. Arch. Degree course in the Department of Architecture aims to prepare professional architects, and students for advanced studies and research, through a comprehensive body of knowledge and skills in an intellectual and creative environment.

The course is designed to equip students with all the skills necessary for good architectural practice. An essential requirement for the study of the course is a grasp on mathematics. Students applying for architecture are, therefore, required to take an examination in mathematics.

The ambience at the college is conducive to the development of a holistic approach to environment design. The students learn the history of the region's architecture; study the relationship between historical buildings and contemporary construction; understand the bases of emerging forms of architecture in Pakistan; and appreciate the relationship of living spaces with human values and dimensions. The department has kept pace with changes and advances in technology, and provides teaching and learning skills with the aid of a well-equipped computer lab. Most faculty members are practicing architects who enrich their academic and theoretical discourse with their first-hand practical experience. The Department also invites visiting architects and planners to lecture at the college from time to time.

Graduates of the college have been absorbed in the profession and in universities for higher education at the national and international levels.

The course is divided into three distinct levels: Foundation Course (First Year), Intermediate Level (Second and Third Years) and Degree Level (Fourth and Fifth Years).

Elective courses are also offered from the fine arts, design, and specific architectural disciplines.

The courses taught through the year focus on Architecture Design, Building Construction, Environment and technical aspects of Architecture.

Department of Fine Arts

The building of a career in the Fine Arts is a lifelong and deeply fulfilling commitment. Many of the graduate of the Fine Art Department at NCA have found fame and recognition in Pakistan and abroad. A four year course leading to a Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts. The Department's studios are located in the oldest section of the College, facing the main quadrangle and extending into a new wing overlooking the Town Hall.

There are four major areas of specialization: Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture and Miniature. Following the foundation Course in the first year, students take introductory courses in all four areas of Fine art teaching in the second year. One is selected as a major area of specialization, before the commencement of first term exam. In the fourth year the work culminates in a thesis project in the final term.

All teaching is project-oriented with particular emphasis on the development of drawing. There is tradition of respecting individuality, of encouraging experimentation and of critical self-analysis. This is made possible through group critiques and individual tutorials. All projects are critiqued and graded through the jury process, whereby a panel of teachers from the Fine Art Department, and occasionally from other Departments as well, act as jurors. Participation by the students is expected and encouraged.

One of the aims of the Department is to familiarize students with all the stages and preparation that preface the creating of a work of art. Apart from the techniques students are required to master, it is also useful and necessary for them to learn the basics of the materials required in their respective disciplines.

The Fine Art Department teaches drawing and sculpture to all in the First Year Foundation Course as well as to students in other years in the Department of Architecture and in the Faculty of Design.

Department of Communication Design

The Department of Communication Design teaches the basic principles of advertising and visual communication, with special reference to manufacturing and marketing techniques. The students are required to complete a design process involving research, strategies of approach, design development and execution. The components of the courses offered are book illustration, package design, corporate identity and advertising campaigns.

Department of Ceramics Design

Creating with clay is a very ancient form of expression. Even the firing of clay to make ceramics is a thousand year old art form.

The department aims to develop the creative expression of the students using the tools of ceramics as well as expanding to the use of other materials like plaster of Paris, glass, etc.

With pottery, function is a key point taken into consideration during the creative process. The functionality of the ceramic as a design subject is enhanced and stressed upon in the second year of the students. Lecturers however use both pottery and creative sculpting to search for new solutions and formulas to express current events and contemporary artistic ideas.

Techniques like slab, coiling, press and moulding, pinching are key methods through which students get a better understanding of the material they are working with.

Later on demand of the students personal themes can be worked on individually or in groups. In their third year the students are introduced to the Wheel. Using this mechanics they train themselves to work in harmony with the wheel to produce vessels and sculptures with challenging size. Through the formal and technical exploration of the clay, a deeper understanding for independent thought, material and method are fostered. Furthermore methods to developing functional and freely expressive objects are demonstrated and explained.

The fourth year students are mostly researching materials for their final thesis which at the end of the year has to be displayed. They have already familiarized themselves with glazes and kiln processes. This knowledge is then applied to give the required finish to their work’s surface.

Department of Product Design

The Department of Product Design teaches the basic principles of design and design process which leads them to make a reasonable solution of any problem. it involves the process of research, existing solutions, and designing a wide range of products in order to suit the needs and demand of the consumer. It is a continuous process of improving and modifying existing designs and trends as well as providing new designs according to the existing problems. The course includes the knowledge of products in processes, human engineering and marketing realities, with a strong concern to relate the product or system to the visual and social environment of its users. Exposure to working in different materials such as fibre glass, wood, plaster, metals, glass, and polymers allows the students to understand the particular qualities and properties of the various materials, available to the product designer.

Department of Textile Design

Designing for Textiles covers a wide range of activities from traditional and contemporary craftsmanship to fashion and furnishing collection for interior design.
As well as research into, and the development and use of new and old materials that can be applied within these disciplines.
These areas also provide rich potential for research. Thus, not only does the textile sector service a huge and complex world wide industry, in addition the diverse and wide ranging nature of its scope provides a fundamental creative basis to the textile designer or practitioner from which to practice many other art and design disciplines.

In this part of the world, the textile industry is constantly changed by and dependent upon wide-ranging issues related to culture, politics and the economy. The inter-related cycles of these three areas present innumerable issues that determine both the perceptions and the products of textile design in Pakistan.

In the long run, it is for institutions like NCA to establish or discard some of these perceptions by setting a standard in design and designer/makers within this discipline nation-wide, and eventually, given the right circumstances, a standard of international level.

These issues need to be addressed in an institutional forum that is capable of providing broad-based training for textiles that produces practitioners who can place themselves anywhere within the wide sphere of textile or alternatively, create a niche for themselves in the yet developing market of this locale.

Department of Musicology

The National College of Arts has established the Department of Musicology at the Undergraduate level since 2001. The four-year programme is entitled "Bachelors in South Asian Classical Music"

Music has always been the primary medium of emotional expression and communication for people living in this part of the world. In the sub-continent, music historically, has been the original and primary language of emotive interaction and has played the single largest role in our artistic and emotional lives. Musicology, at its most fundamental, is an inquiry and understanding of the "purpose" of music. The purpose of music, is its relationship with the emotional world of human beings, and human life-to serve the needs, issues, and growth of the higher emotional/intellectual processes. Thus classical music is an essential part of our heritage and a specific formative factor in our cultural and emotional identity as a people.

The need for this programme was felt because there is a lack of an informed understanding and sensitivity in the existing conceptual structure of our music. The purpose of the Department of Musicology is to produce musicians/musicologists who are willing to take on the responsibility of pursuing both theoretical and practical music on a critical and intelligent level - to combine it with techniques to create good music. It is the 'making' for a better state of mankind in terms of human happiness, for which the understanding of music and serious musical theory is essential. The Musicology Department at NCA is aiming at a revival of our musical heritage, and to regenerate an interest in our classical music, on the basis of a theoretical and practical understanding of music and a historical analysis of its aesthetics and composition.

Department of Film and Television

The National College of Arts started the department of Film & Television in 2005. The department offers a 4 year bachelor degree program in Film & Television Production and will soon launch a one year postgraduate Diploma program in Script & Screenplay Writing. The department is also planning to offer other certificate/ diploma course and a master’s degree program in future.

The need for this department and its degree program was felt because of the rapid expansion of the film & television media in the region over the last decade. NCA courses aim at preparing graduates with the calibre of practice indispensable for producing the artistic and professional moving images that are in great demand. The curriculum and disciplines (film, drama, documentary, news and current affairs, and such others)also phase in discourse on cultural effects, cultural identities and other communication issues in the new global village. The curriculum, the disciplines and the existing NCA environment helps enlarge students vision by triggering erratic multiple layers of creative, intuitive and intellectual thought processes, and seed a mastery of form, content and structures as well as solid fundamentals with the integration of digital media which has globally created its own space and entered all motion picture mediums like film, video and television. The focus is on broadening the student’s vision, global understanding, competence and skills. There is no institution of substance for a serious, in-depth understanding of the requirements of film and television medium in Pakistan. And it is, thus, the obligation and commitment of NCA to face up to this challenge and be among the pioneers in institutionalizing formal training in film and television.

In developing this program, NCA has incorporated advice and suggestions of film and television professionals and institutions. Several film and television workshops were conducted at NCA to assess student’s response and to identify future faculty and the results were satisfactory. These workshops were conducted by some national and international film and television professionals of repute and included ‘Documentary Film Production’ by Shireen Pasha, ‘Basics of Film Production’ by Feryal Gauhar, ‘A to Z of Film Production’ by Usmaan Peerzada, ‘Screenplay Writing for Feature Film’ by Prof. Wolfgang Laengsfeld, ‘Spanish Cinema’ by Don Oscar Peyrou - Spanish film expert accompanying the Spanish film festival, ‘Scriptwriting for Television’ by Haseena Moin and ‘Documentary Production’ by Kohei Iwasaki, television expert/Senior Volunteer, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The workshops were a great success and with the setting up of the Department of Film and Television, NCA is able to address the need of the country and the industry and offer education in the field of film & television in an organized and systematic manner.

Department of Multimedia Arts

Keeping in mind the necessity to meet the latest developments in IT field, NCA initiated the Post-Graduate Center for Multimedia Arts (PGCMA) in 2000 and Mr. Muhammad Ali Tirmizi was appointed as project Director. in 2001 first batch of students was enrolled which included Syed Maqsood Pasha, Mr. Zaffar Iqbal and Ms. Irum Zia from within the faculty of NCA. Mr. Muhammad Ali Tirmizi was appointed the Director of the Program.

The PGCMA has helped Pakistani students to come at par with prevailing international standards of Visual Arts education in the wake of phenomenal developments in information technology world over.

Students are able to complement their previous studies and work experience with knowledge and skills in the design and development of multimedia products. The programe is designed to prepare graduates for multi-faceted careers in multimedia industry. There are opportunities to develop and apply their teamwork, project management and business planning expertise through industry based multimedia projects.

It provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand the rapidly developing field of Multimedia. It also enables them to create and critically evaluate interactive Multimedia applications. The introduction of post-graduate courses in Multimedia Arts at the NCA has also bridged the prevailing gap between evolutionary values and tradition.

The PGCMA has raised the level of multimedia application in all professional areas like video production, multimedia authoring, interactive design, special effects, animation etc. The courses prepares students for multi-faceted careers in the multimedia industry.

NCA had sat up a state-of-the-Art Multimedia Center (MC) with financial assistance from the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) which lately was revamped with the generous financial assistance of Ministry of Information Technology.

Programe has been developed with the technical assistance from French Government and Ecol-D-Art, Aix-en-Provence, France.

NCA offers the following courses under the programe:
1. Masters in Multimedia Arts
2. Post-Graduate Diploma in Multimedia Arts

Foreign Linkage
The College has developed the Multimedia Arts Programe with the technical assistance of Ecole Superieure D’ Art Di Aix-en-Provence France, NCA and French Art School entered in to memorandum to initiate the programe in 2000 for faculty and student exchange. This agreement originally was for the period of three years, during which four workshops were conducted by French teachers for Multimedia students and during this time three teachers went to France for specialized training in different disciplines of Multimedia Arts.

Recently this exchange programe was further extended, through mutual discussions it was agreed that the scope of and scope of this cooperation to be further enhanced, new suggestions have been put forward for implementation, which include exchange of exhibitions and joint student projects in Pakistan as well as in France.

The cultural wing of French Embassy in Pakistan and Alliance Francaise Lahore has played a vital role in development and improvement of this cooperation, and from the NCA side Principal Prof. Sajida Haider Vandal has put her utmost efforts to further consolidate and enhance the programe.

Multimedia Faculty Members
NCA maintains a highly qualified and diverse faculty with a strong emphasis on multimedia production experience. Experienced instructors, industry professionals with varied and extensive backgrounds in multimedia and guest artists from local broadcast, games and visual effects studios form the core of the instructional staff.

Faculty has been identified and trained over a period of one year while two of the faculty member has proceeded to France (Aix-en-Provence) for further training of one academic year.

Department of Fresco Painting

During the Renaissance Fresco was regarded as "The Mother of All Arts" – today the genre has been pushed aside as newer art forms assert themselves – but this does not minimize the relevance or historical value of this statement. Every culture and its painting in particular are greatly influenced by fresco. Prior to "printing age" public buildings and common places, decorated with the wall paintings (frescoes), were the only sources from which people and artists specifically could learn about current painting techniques and styles as well as about the art techniques of the past - unearthed painting of Pompeii that survived centuries underground due to being true frescoes is just one such example. Fresco painting is also thought of as the logical link between architecture and decoration.

The tradition of fresco painting in the sub-continent goes back to the Ajanta period. The Mughals made extensive use of fresco painting in their architecture, followed by the Sikhs in this region. During the British period artisans and craftsmen were forced to look for alternative means of livelihood. Ustad Ghulam Muohuddin of Chiniot is amongst those who preserved the family tradition. In present times his apprentice Ustad Saif-ur-Rehman who has been awarded the President's Pride of Performance award, and twice the Lok Virsa Award, has worked on the restoration of numerous historical monuments, Jehangir's Tomb, Lahore Fort, Shalimar Garden, Badshahi Mosque, Begum Shahi (Maryam Zamani) Mosque, and Wazir Khan Mosque. And more recently created modern day frescoes for the New Campus Mosque Lahore, and Serena Hotel Islamabad. He is presently working on the conservation of Shish Mahal at Lahore Fort, and conducting workshops on the technique of fresco painting.

The successful revival and reinvention of the Mughal Miniature has strengthened the need for study, exploration and possible redefinition of other indigenous art forms. Art education institutions too have begun to realize that in order to initiate a critical discourse between the traditional and the modern it is necessary to develop continuous links not only between art theory and art practice but also between the historical and the contemporary. The Fine Arts Department of the National college of Arts, in 2000 established an MA (Hons) visual Art programme which encourages students to interact with the wider environment of the city and specifically to forge links with traditional practitioners and artists who may fall outside of institutionalised art practice.

The Acclaimed fresco artisan Ustad Saif-ur-Rehman's 'shagirid' generated obstacles, misconceptions and questions that pioneering efforts often create. Asif Sharif discloses that fellow artists and tutors wondered "how would I place such art work in contemporary times, and would it be possible to meet the norms and the understandings of art according to the art establishment. The issues raised by the traditional Ustads on the other hand, were about the essence of traditional work that should not be damaged, like the mysterious quality, originality and intricacy of such artwork."

Department of Interior Design

Awareness of Interior Design as a discipline is fairly new phenomena in the modern world, there are only a few international institutions specializing in interior design. In retrospect with the onset of Art Nouveau at the turn of the century, the number of institutions imparting functional design related to interior increased radically. Over the years the decorative aspect of interior, gradually transformed interior into the science of interior design. The product of this new approach has revealed unlimited possibilities in utilization of a vast variety of materials available to society.

The unplanned, deeply ruptured physical environment of contemporary living needs the informed, humane and creative design input of well-trained design professionals. Design profession in Pakistan is inadequately equipped and developed in comparison to the vast challenges posed by the physical and social environment. Interior design as a specialized field has only begun to make an appearance in the professional field. The program offered by the National College of Arts is a pioneering venture in training professional interior designers. The program of study is committed to design rooted in the socio-economic and cultural realities of the local environment and the global needs of the twenty first century. It is inspired both by the founding mandate of the Mayo school as an institution for the promotion of indigenous crafts, the later Bauhaus influenced curriculum of the National College of Arts.

It subscribes to the humane and methodological design approach of the early modernists and its critical maturing in the work and writing of designers and theorists who challenged the Eurocentric and culturally insensitive nature of early modern design.

The program plans to incorporate the traditional design crafts related to environment design in its curriculum and narrow the divide between traditional practitioners and professional designers.

Courses in social sciences are planned to equip designers with a wider vision and understanding of the social context of design.

The faculty consists of practicing professionals in the field of interior design and allied professions as well as academicians for liberal arts.

The riches asset of our department are the facilities and learning environment composed of the varied art and design departments of Pakistan’s premier institute the National College of Arts. The students can use the facilities these departments and also participate in the vibrant activities of the National College of Arts.

The program of study consists of courses in design, materials, colour theory, lighting and electrical, mechanical systems, drawing and presentation, art history, sociology etc. The final project for graduation consists of a thesis project completed in the second year of the course.

The thesis project provides opportunity to an individual designer to pursue with a great freedom a selected topic of his or her own choice. The objective is to train a future professional to seek innovative and socially responsible design solutions. The student works with his or her internal advisor and is finally juried by professionals in the field of interior and architectural design.

Societies & Clubs

All societies and extracurricular activities are organized through students' Societies and Clubs. Their main function is to cultivate the cultural and social life of the College through organized discussions on the arts: film viewing, music classes, mime and puppetry workshops and art exhibitions as well as excursions to places of artistic interest are undertaken by the numerous societies and clubs.

Introductory workshops are held at the beginning of the academic year so that the incoming batch of students may join the clubs and societies of their choice. Each society and club has a member of faculty presiding over its activities as its Patron.

Puppeteers NCA
Puppeteers NCA was inaugurated in 1992 with the first director Imran Qureshi, Zaka, and fellows then later joined by Taha Ahmed Yasin, Nosheen, Hussain Halai, Adeel Mumtaz, Ali Imran...
The basic goal of this society is to exhibit and perform in different mediums of puppetry along with researching new techniques. Some of the recent applied techniques are:

Finger puppet,
Hand puppet,
Muppets,
Black light,
Shadow puppets,
3D Shadow Puppets,
Claymation,
And Mixture of different techniques (Shadow with strings and hand puppets etc.)

Skits
The most looked forward to performances in the summer and winter festivals each year is by the Skits society. This society soared to new heights under the direction of Mubashir Tahir and Kanwal Irfan.
Skits performances are based upon both satire and pure humour. Popular figures of the college including the students and the faculty are the main subject whereas current social and political events are also dealt with. Skit performers are pushed to keep a keen observation on the activities going on around the college. They are trained in basic acting and vocal skills along with other theatre techniques during the workshops led by the directors themselves.

Cine Circle

Cine Circle is the film club that was started by the film and television students of the college. Various exclusive film screenings along with a discussion session by the directors have been organized by the film club during 2009 - 2010 including Taqwacore (film)

Taqwacore (film)

The documentary Taqwacore is one of two films based on on Michael Muhammad Knight's book The Taqwacores. In 2008, the book had been made into a feature film by director Eyad Zahra starring actress Noureen DeWulf as Rabeya, actress Rasika Mathur as Fatima, and actor Bobby Naderi as Yusef.The film...

 , Zar Gul and Zibahkhana

Zibahkhana

Zibahkhana is an Urdu-English slasher film directed by Omar Khan. It premiered at the NatFilm Festival in Denmark and has since been screened at festivals all over the world including Toronto, New York City, London, Neuchatel, Stockholm, Cape Town, Austin, Philadelphia, Cambridge, Puerto Rico,...

. Indian film Firaaq

Firaaq

Firaaq is a 2008 Hindi political thriller film set one month after the 2002 violence in Gujarat, India, and looks at the aftermath in terms of the effects on the lives of everyday people. It claims to be based on "a thousand true stories". Firaaq means both separation and quest in Urdu...

 was also shown exclusively when its director Nandita Das

Nandita Das

Nandita Das is an award-winning Indian film actress and director. As an actress, she is known for her performances in Fire , Earth , Bawandar , Kannathil Muthamittal and Aamaar Bhuvan . As a director, she is known for her directorial debut Firaaq , which has won a number of national and...

 visited the college in 2009. The society was usually being criticized by the conservative faculty members and students for the screenings of Socialist Realist films including The Battleship Potemkin

The Battleship Potemkin

The Battleship Potemkin , sometimes rendered as The Battleship Potyomkin, is a 1925 silent film directed by Sergei Eisenstein and produced by Mosfilm...

 and Cranes are flying among other Soviet films.

Nautankye
The "Nautankye" Society: this drama society was established in September 1994. The society adopts a comic experimental theatre style with a simplified view towards presentation. Where necessary the students make the props needed in the College workshops. One of the aims of the Nautankye Society is to travel and produce performances in Lahore as well a in other cities. The society also invites people in the performing arts for workshops, such as puppetry.

Alif Adaab
till 1999 the theatre groups of NCA were more oriented towards comedy and slapstick genres. Till then only Mime was considered a medium of TRAGEDY performance. ALIF ADAAB was founded by Saji (SAJJAD GUL) as the first DIALOGUE BASED serious theatre in NCA 2000. Originally ALIF ADAAB's moto was to explore every kind of LITERARY & PERFORMING ART! but with time the success and economy of its theatre chapter promoted it as a theatre group. Though ALIF ADAAB has evolved into many distinctive forms with time.
The main principles:
1) EXPLORING ALL POSSIBLE MEDIUMS OF PERFORMING ARTS.
2) EXPERIMENTING FUSSION OF EASTERN N WESTERN TECHNIQUES OF THEATRE.
3) PROMOTING ARTS AND LITERATURE OF SUBCONTINENT.

Undraap Nexus
This is the society specializing in mime. It has several innovative performances at the College and at other venues in Lahore.

Eastern Music Society
Members of this recently established but popular society is taught how to play eastern classical instruments such as the tabla, sitaar and flute. The society arranges concerts and performs at College functions.

Film Club"The End"
"The End" is also known as "Wehshi Film Society". It makes Films in which college students act, and also It organizes regular film shows of foreign films and documentaries, with the aim of providing a bank of information which will help students to critically analyse and study technical details of the art of film-making. Animation techniques are taught to students, as well as knowledge of the latest techniques being employed in the field of film- making. Members of "Wehshi Film Society" have currently written and acted in an amateur production of a film for television.
"Wehshi Film Society" makes its own videos for the college, competitions & TV.

Western Music Society
The society arranges concerts several times a year. As with members of the Eastern Music Society, members of WMS also learn to sing and play instruments belonging to western tradition of music such as drums, guitar and the key-board etc.

Dance society
The most recent addition to the clubs and societies of NCA is the Dance society which came into being after the countless efforts of Adnan Jehangir aka "Adnan Nacha". With the assistance from the Sundas, the pioneer team managed to register Dance Society at the college stage and is now a regular participant in local cultural events,after adnan dance society was closed for three years than a young energetic girl Asma Khan started the society again she was a very good belly dancer she handed over the society to zahida jamil and after zahida, Minhaj Ahmed Rafi became the director of this society.

Poetry Club
The Poetry Club of the National College Arts organizes poetry readings and mushairas. Emphasis is laid on Urdu poetry and Literature. Members of the Club contribute to the College magazine. The President and General Secretary invite prominent poets to the College for readings of their work. This is with a view to develop an interest in the other creative arts which involve the work of visual artists.

Haroof
Founded by Architect Fawad Ahmed & Architect Zahid Usman in 1999.
Objectives of the NCA’s literary society:

Our first and foremost objective is to establish NCA as a college that is outstanding in literary as well as art circles in the country. To do this we shall:

• a) Publish our own magazine that will exhibit the literary talents of the students.
• b) Enter debating and poetry competitions.
• c) Have poetry readings and recitals at the college premises.
• d) Involve the students in activities that will sharpen their skills as speakers and will create a love and awareness of the written word.
• e) We would also like to help other societies with their scripts and storyboard for their performances.

Rawalpindi Campus

In its sixth year and with new management in place the development speed has very noticeably picked up. The Rawalpindi Campus has established two departments, Fine Arts and Architecture. After two extremely successful Fine Arts theses and one very successful Architecture thesis, this campus has risen fast and strong in respect amongst all. This is largely due to the faculty running this campus, who are both young and extremely dedicated to making this campus a success like the mother campus at Lahore. The Fine Arts faculty comprises of established artists like Nadia Hussain, Aqeel Solangi and Fatima Hussain (director, Other Asias) of the painting department,Sophiya Khwaja and Zaira Ahmad of the printmaking department, Nadia Rahat and Amna Hashmi of the miniature Department and Imran Hunzai and Hassan Ali of the sculpture department.

NCA in modern times

Due to its distribution as the one of the two highly reputable arts institution in Pakistan (other being Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture Karachi), entrance to it has become competitive. Around 450 students from all provinces study in the College (out of which nearly 40 percent are girls) and is taught by a teaching staff of 40.
There is a high rate of employment for its diploma-holders in a number of important organizations in the country: Pakistan International Airlines, Pakistan National Council of the Arts, University Grants Commission, Security Printing Press of Pakistan, National Book Foundation, and the Department of Films and publications. Apart from the various urban development authorities, its graduates are absorbed in the private sector by a large number of advertising agencies, architectural consultancies, industrial and publishing houses.

The work of students from various departments can be seen at the annual Thesis Display within the Campus premises.Students have been showing great promise and positive attitude towards the global practices in the fields of art and design. Some outstanding degree of work has also been produced in the last decade; setting new standards in the local art scene of Pakistan.

Mayo School of Arts

• 1875-1894 - Lockwood Kipling
• Percy Brown
• 1903-1913: Bhai Ram Singh
  Bhai Ram Singh
  Bhai Ram Singh MVO was one of pre-partition Punjab's foremost architects, dominating the scene for nearly 2 decades. Amongst his works is the Durbar Hall, Osborne House; Lahore Museum and Governor's House in Simla.-Mayo School of Arts:...
  
  
• 1913-1930: Hugh Lionel Heath
• 1930-1942: S. N Gupta
• 1943-1947: Mian Muhammad Hussain
• 1947-1954: Ghulam Nabi Malik
• 1954-1956: Sidney Spedding

National College of Arts (1958 - Present)

• Shakir Ali
• Iqbal Hassan
• Abbasi Abidi
• Salima Hashmi
  Salima Hashmi
  Salima Hashmi is a Pakistani painter, artist, writer, anti-nuclear weapon activist and a professor who served for four years as the head of the National College of Arts...
  
  
• Sajida Haider Vandal
• Naazish Ata Ullah

Notable alumni

The list below includes graduates of both Mayo School of Arts and National College of Arts.

Designers

• Kashif Rouf
• Shehzad janesar
• Tashfeen Shahid
• Sameer Khan Lodhi
• Mansoor Sajid
• Ahmed Raza

Painters

• A. R. Chughtai
  Abdur Rahman Chughtai
  Abdur Rahman Chughtai was a painter and intellectual from Pakistan who was best known for his "Chughtai" style of art, as well has his designs of postage stamps. He was awarded Pakistan's Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 1960, and the President of West Germany awarded him a GoldMedal in 1964 for his...
  
  
• Salima Hashmi
  Salima Hashmi
  Salima Hashmi is a Pakistani painter, artist, writer, anti-nuclear weapon activist and a professor who served for four years as the head of the National College of Arts...
  
  
• Ajaz Anwar
  Ajaz Anwar
  Ajaz Anwar [ Urdu: اعجاز انور ] is a distinguished painter of Pakistan. He was a teacher at National College of Arts Lahore. His watercolour paintings show the grandeur of the old buildings and the cultural life in Lahore.-Life:...
  
  
• Askari Mian Irani
  Askari Mian Irani
  -Early life and education:Irani received a diploma in design from the National College of Arts , Lahore in 1967.-Stamp design:Irani designed two stamps of the Third Organisation of the Islamic Conference issue....
  
  
• Bashir Mirza
  Bashir Mirza
  Bashir Mirza PP, was a Pakistani painter.-Early life:Born in Amristar in 1941, a Tonga makers son, B.M. manage to climb the ladder to fame.-Education:...
  
  
• Jamil Naqsh
  Jamil Naqsh
  Jamil Naqsh [ Jamil Naqsh [ Jamil Naqsh [ [[ Urdu: جمىل نقش ] is a [[Pakistan]]i [[Painting|painter]] deemed the only living Pakistani modern master artist. He currently lives a reclusive life in [[London]]. He is best known for his female nude figures...
  
  
• Shakir Ali
• Zahoor ul Akhlaq
  Zahoor ul Akhlaq
  Zahoor ul Akhlaq was a pioneering artist from Pakistan. He is known for his approach to painting, sculpture, design and architecture, as well as his teaching at the NCA in Lahore....
  
  
• Lala Rukh
• Colin David
  Colin David
  Colin David PP was one of Pakistan's most popular artists of the 1970s. He was mostly famous for his figurative nudes. He was awarded the President's Pride of Performance Award in 1995.-Early life and education:...
  
  
• Saeed Akhtar
  Saeed Akhtar
  Saaed Akhtar [ Urdu: سعىد اختتر ] is Pakistan's foremost portrait painter. He started gaining prominent during the late 1970s and the 1980s.-Early life:...
  
  
• M. Asif Shareef
• R.M.Naeem
• Anwar Saeed
• Imran Channa
  Imran Channa
  Imran Channa is a contemporary visual artist based in Lahore, Pakistan. He was born on 21 September 1981 in Shikarpur, Sindh. He works in multiple media, including painting, drawing, sculpture, digital art and interactive art. He has been exhibiting nationally and internationally. He is currently...
  
  
• Hasnat Mehmood
  Hasnat Mehmood
  Hasnat Mehmood [ Urdu: حسنات محمود ] is a visual artist who lives and works in Lahore, Pakistan. He was born on 3 March 1978 in Jhelum.- Art career :...
  
  
• Mohammad Ali Talpur
  Mohammad Ali Talpur
  Mohammad Ali Talpur is a well known contemporary Pakistani artist. He is considered as the only minimalist artist in Pakistan because of his linear drawings. He is teaching at National College of Arts and works at his studio in Lahore...
  
  
• Satish Gujral
  Satish Gujral
  Satish Gujral is an Indian painter, sculptor, muralist, graphic designer and architect. He was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 1999....
  
  
• Ustad Bashir Ahmed
• Quddus Mirza
  Quddus Mirza
  Quddus Mirza is a Pakistani art critic, artist and art educator who is based in Lahore. He currently writes in , he is the co-author of the Book “”, “” and “”. His writings have been published in national and international newspapers and magazines.-Life:...
  
  
• Fatima Zahra Hassan

Singers/Musicians/Performers

• Nayyara Noor
  Nayyara Noor
  Nayyara Noor is a Pakistani playback singer who is also considered one of the South Asia's foremost exponents in the Ghazal genre.-Biography:...
  
  
• Jawad Bashir
  Jawad Bashir
  Jawad Bashir, is a famous Pakistani Director/Actor/Singer. He was born in Lahore and studied at the National College of Arts , where he and his friends, mainly in coordination with Director/Special Effects/Musician Ahsan Khan started the classic spoof TV programme 'VJ'...
  
  
• Ali Zafar
  Ali Zafar
  Ali Zafar is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music, including his hit songs like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty" and "Sajania"...
  
  
• Faisal Qureshi
  Faisal Qureshi (TV director)
  Faisal Qureshi, is a Pakistani television producer, director, and actor. He was born in Hyderabad, Sindh.He was a graduate of the National College of Arts. Faisal started his career as a host of musical programme VJ, directed by Ahsan Rahim. It was telecast from NTM in mid-nineties...
  
  
• Mahvash Waqar
  Mahvash Waqar
  Mahvash Waqar is a Pakistani artist and current band member of the Laal Band. She is the backup vocalist for the band. She has also been famous for a stint on the radio network as a RJ.-Early life:...
  
  
• Ayesha Omar
  Ayesha Omar
  Ayesha Omar is a Pakistani actress, model, singer, former MTV Pakistan VJ and painter. She is best known for portraying the character of Khoobsurat in ARY Digital's sitcom Bulbulay.-Biography:...
  
  
• Jawad Tariq
• Naeem Haq
  Naeem Haq
  Naeem Haq is a Pakistani male model, television actor, host, CEO, gymnast and architect.-Early life:He has studied from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan...
  
  

Filmmakers

• Shireen Pasha
• Umair Nasir Ali - Filmmaker-Director Num Films

External links

• National College of Arts, Lahore - Official Website
• Pakstudy (National College of Arts Section)

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