Martha Clark Sutherland

Martha Clark (Slocum) Sutherland, 97, formerly of Paris, London, and Rome, passed away peacefully at her home in Fayetteville AR on 9 May 2025. Born in Pittsburgh PA on 14 October 1927, she was the younger of two daughters of Winthrop Slocum and Helen Kimball. She graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1949 with a BA in art, where she was a classmate of Andy Warhol. Living in Boston afterward, she met and married Cyrus A. Sutherland, an architect, in 1951. Together they moved to France where Cyrus worked in the Paris office of an American architecture firm. In the City of Light Martha fell in love with French language, literature, and cuisine, all of which she pursued throughout her life. The couple moved to London, where their daughter Celia and son Ian were born. They returned to the US when Cyrus joined the faculty of the (then) Department of Architecture at the University of Arkansas. Their son Win was born in Fayetteville. Martha earned a Masters degree in Art from the U of A, and then originated the position of Coordinator of Activities in the Fine Arts Center. She later joined the faculty of the School of Architecture, where she earned tenure and taught for many years, retiring as Associate Professor Emerita.
Martha's artistic talents included painting, sculpture, drawing, lettering, calligraphy, and a wide range of fiber arts. Her architecture courses emphasized freehand drawing, two-dimensional rendering, and lettering. She was a master calligrapher and for many years hand-lettered the diplomas of architecture graduates. She was also a prolific writer. During her academic career she published Lettering for Architects and Designers; Graphic Fundamentals: Freehand Drawing for Architects, Landscape Architects, and Interior Designers; Regarding the Borgo Pio: An Architectural View of a Renaissance Street in Rome; and Model Making: A Basic Guide. With her sister Merry Bean, she published Letter Perfect: Over Forty Alphabets for Needlepoint and Embroidery. Martha was committed to reading and the enjoyment of good literature and the arts. She was a member of the Modern Literature Club for over sixty years. After retiring, she earned a second MA in French Literature, joined the Poetry Book Club, and served as a trustee of the Fayetteville Public Library. She was a committed supporter of Theater Squared and the Crystal Bridges Museum.
Martha Sutherland is survived by her daughter Celia Slocum Wirth of Stillwater MN; sons Ian McSpadden Sutherland of central VT, and Winthrop Wren Sutherland of Fayetteville AR; granddaughter Caitlin J Wirth (Eric), and great granddaughter Alma. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her honor to Fayetteville Public Library or Theater Squared. A memorial service will be announced later. If you would like to be notified, please email celia.wirth@cwirth.com.