Education:
Amherst College, B.A., (summa cum laude) 1949.
Harvard University, M.A. 1950 Art History (Indian Art)
Ph.D., 1954 Dissertation: "Rock-cut Monuments of the Andhra Period: Style and Chronology”
Teaching Experience:
1961-2000: Dept History of Art, Univ. of Michigan (Assoc.Prof.1961-70; Prof.1970-2000; Emeritus 2000-
1956-1961: Dept of Fine Arts, Brandeis Univ, (Instr:1956-58; Asst.Prof.1958-61; Chair:1969-1960
1960: Dept. of Art, Brown University (Visiting lecturer)
1972 summer) Dept. of South Asian Studies University of Chicago
1954-1956 U.S. Army Medical Corps (Corpsman)
Major Academic Commitments and Appointments (Listing since 1971
Consultant and writer for “Some kind of Miracle”. film by Internat. Media 2001: my view of Ajanta’s history
Protagonist “It’s Written in the Stone”, film by Castle Productions 2006: my view of Ajanta’s development
Director Annual Ajanta Student Site Seminar, (non-profit) 1975-present: interactive discussions in caves
Organizer International Conf. on Ajanta’s Conservation: Feb.1999
Liaison Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts and Mus. of Man, for ACSAA Slide Project; 1970-1996
Liaison Samuel H. Kress Foundation support for ACSAA Slide Project 1986-1996
Director Smithsonian Institution Project--Ajanta: Research and Documentation, 1983-1986
Director Phoenix Project: Radiocarbon Dating of Indian Cave Temples, 1981-1990
Director NEH Photography Project, 1981-1986 with matching funds from U. of Mich.
Produced approx 84,000 original color slides in India for Color Slide Proj of Am Comm for SAA
President The American Committee for South Asian Art, 1972-1976 (now Am. Council for Southern A.A.)
Ed. Board Ars Orientalis, 1963-2000
Director Asian Art Archives, University of Michigan, 1962-1996
Director Color Slide Project: Amer. Comm. for S. Asian Art, 1974-1996
Co-Editor ACSAA Microfiche Project,1975-19(for major cave sites)
Member Art and Archaeology Comm: A.I.I.S, 1969-76; 1986-1991
Member South Asia Regional Council, 1972-1976
Chairman Committee of Fine Arts, S Asia Reg. Council, 1974-76
Trustee American Institute of Indian Studies, 1962-5; 1972-3
Consultant Smithsonian Institution Consultant in India for AIIS, Winter, 1971
Board of Dir American Academy of Benares, 1965-1971; Act Dir.Summer 1966
Organizer Exhibition "The Cult of Krishna": U.of Mich.Mus of Art, 1971
Member Indian Historical Atlas Committee, 1964-1978
Member Exec Comm, Ctr for SE Asian Studies, U.of Michigan 1972-74
(Data earlier than 1970 is available upon request)
Honors:
Chief Guest: Age of the Vakatakas symposium. Nagpur University, 1985
Guest of Honor: International Seminar on the Art of Ajanta and its Significance, Baroda, India, 1988
Keynote Address "Ajanta, the Ending of the Beginning," Seventeenth Annual Conference on South Asia, 1988
Scholarly panel on my theories at 1) Assoc of Asian Studies Nat Meeting, 1990; 2) Annual Conf. on S Asia, 1989
Master of Ceremonies (and Consultant) Pala Art Symposium, Dayton Museum 1990
Univ. of Michigan Faculty Recognition Awards 1990 & 1991
Panel at Conference on South Asia, University of Wisconsin: “Site Seminar Revisited” (papers by my students)
Hooker Distinguished Visiting Professorship, McMaster University, March 1993
Listed by Art News as one of "The Great Experts" in Art History
Delegate to Asia Society’s: International Conference.”The Future of Asia’s Past” Thailand 1995
Requested by Ministry of Educ. Govt of India) to publish my six-volume study of Ajanta when completed. 1990s.
CHACHAJI: Professor Walter M. Spink Felicitation Volume (ed. S. Markel) Ars Orientalis Supplementum 2000. Sponsored by Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Department of History of Art, U. of Michigan. (Articles on WMS’s life and work, bibl. of WMS writings, articles by colleagues.)
Keynote Lecture for Colloquium: Indian Culture at the Crossroads (Vakataka Conference, Groningen, 2002)
Various notices and/or articles on my work in Indian Express, Times of India, Lokmat Times, Travel and Leisure, The Art Newspaper, JetWings, Ann Arbor Observer, and U of Mich Record, Alumni Mag, LSA Magazine (various years); consultant for forthcoming television series (“Nova”) including Ajanta and Ellora. Also writer and protagonist for two hour-length films on my theories about Ajanta’s history and development. (See Castle Productions: www.ajantainfo)
“Living Rock”: ACSAA Session in my honor, in conjunction with Annual Meeting of CAA March 16 2007
“Exploring Buddhist Cave Temples” Conference in honor of Prof. Walter M. Spink under auspices of Chung Choo Art Society and Association of Art History and Visual Culture; Seoul National University and National Museum of Korea, May 21 to 28, 2008
Presenter of Heras Memorial Lectures, Mumbai, January 2 and 3, 2009
Keynote speaker and Consultant, Conference on Ajanta and Related Sites (Vatsa Kumar, Organizer), Houston Texas, April 2009
Research Grants (listing since 1971):
(Grants obtained earlier than 1971 from Bollingen Foundation, Asian Cultural Council, Kress Foundation, Association for Asian Studies, Smithsonian Institution, Southeast Asia Art Foundation, Ford Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, University of Michigan as well as funds raised for Asian Art Archives, and ACSAA Color Slide Project are not listed here; available on request)
2003 Rosenkranz Charitable Foundation Grant for documentary film: Ajanta: Its Written in the Stone
2001 National Endowment for the Humanities, Research Fellowship for volumes on Ajanta
2000 American Institute of Indian Studies Senior Grant for study at Ajanta
1999 Freer Travel Grant 2 week) to Taiwan museums
1994 American Institute of Indian Studies Senior Grant for study at Ajanta
1991-2 Guggenheim Fellowship for work on Ajanta
1990-1 Fulbright Fellowship for work on Ajanta
1990 NEH Fellowship for work on Ajanta volumes
1989 Smithsonian Institution Travel Grant to India
1989 OVPR Small Project Grant for work on Ajanta
1989 Rackham Int Partnership Grant to remake Ajanta Cave plans
1988 American Institute of Indian Studies grant;:summer work at Ajanta
1988 Smithsonian Travel Grant to the Internat. Seminar on the Art of Ajanta. Baroda, India, Feb. 1988
1987-8 NEH Grant for Research at Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
1986 American Institute of Indian Studies: Short term grant to study Indian caves
1984-5 Fulbright Research Grant for study in Indonesia
1983 American Institute of Indian Studies: Short term grant to study Ajanta caves
1983-6 Smithsonian Inst grant:"Ajanta Caves: Research, Photography"
1983 Social Science Research Grant for research in Indonesia
1981 University of Wisconsin Travel Grant for film consultation in India
1980 Rackham International Cooperation Grant
1979 American Institute of Indian Studies Grant:Research on caves in India (Winter)
1979 AIIS Grant to India (Fall)
1978 AIIS Grant Research on cave sites in India (Winter)
1977 Asian Art Archives, LSA Grant through U. of Michigan
1977 Archival Slide Project, American Committee for S Asian Art
1976 6 month NEH Fellowship for Art and Ideas, East and West (my regular course Art:Ideas::East:West
1975 AIIS Travel Grant to study cave temples Dec.75 –April 1976
1974&77 Univ.of Michigan Rackham Grant, connections India and West
1972 ACLS Grant for study of Buddhist & Hindu cave temples
1971 Smithsonian Travel Grant for program consultation in India
Reviewer: NEH, Smithsonian Inst, AAIS, AAS, Getty, Shastri Foundation, Canada Council, Asian Cultural Council
Consultant:
Metropolitan Museum S/SE Asia Galleries 1988
Seattle Art Museum Indian Galleries Reinstallation: pending
Organizations:
Association for Asian Studies
The Asia Society
Bharta Itihasa Samshodhaka Mandala, Poona (Life Member)
Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Poona (Life Member)
American Council for Southern Asian Art
Indian Association of Art Historians
Indian Archaeology Society (Life Member)
College Art Association
Association of University Professors
Indian Nat. Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Life Member)