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Academic Metals Directory · program

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

university art department · Active
last checked 2026-05-29

As archived

Program began
1959

Degrees
B.F.A, M.F.A

Now (checked 2026)

Status
Active

What happened
Continuation with leadership transition. The historic metals program (founded 1959; built by L. Brent Kington in blacksmithing and Richard Mawdsley in fine metals/small metals, both now Professors Emeriti) continues uninterrupted. Since ~2014, day-to-day faculty leadership passed to Rick Smith and Sun Kyoung Kim. The program remains within the School of Art and Design, which has been reorganized administratively (now under the College of Arts and Media); the school's interim director is Robert A. Lopez for 2025-2026. The archived faculty (Kington d. 2013, Mawdsley, Mary Lee Hu) reflect the program's historical lineage; the program is actively recruiting and exhibiting today.

Link
academics.siu.edu/design/art/program-tracks/metalsmithing.php

People

Faculty
L. Brent Kington · 1961 to 1997Mary Lee Hu · 1968 to 1969Richard Mawdsley · 1978 to 2005

Trained here

Adam HawkBob MitchellElliot PujolMichael WartgowRachel Suzanne SmithTom Mccarthy

Sources

https://academics.siu.edu/design/art/program-tracks/metalsmithing.phphttps://academics.siu.edu/design/art/masters/https://academics.siu.edu/design/art/https://news.siu.edu/2006/02/021406tc6032.phphttps://catalog.siu.edu/programs/ad/faculty.phphttps://soad.siu.edu/

From the original Tyler “Academic Metals Directory” (≈2014), brought current in 2026.

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