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Academic Metals Directory · program

Southern Illinois University

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 a generational faculty handoff. The program founded by L. Brent Kington (began rebuilding SIU metals after 1961; "reintroduced blacksmithing as an art form to the US"; Lifetime Achievement, SNAG 2011; the $1M endowed L. Brent Kington chair was created in 2006) and Richard Mawdsley (fine metals, from 1978) is now carried by Rick Smith (blacksmithing) and Sun Kyoung Kim (small metals/jewelry). Mawdsley and Kington are emeritus/deceased. Since ~2014 the program has continued uninterrupted, retaining both blacksmithing and small-metals/jewelry tracks at BFA and MFA levels; the academic unit has been reorganized/rebranded into the School of Art and Design under the College of Arts and Media.

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 present

Trained here

Cappy CounardHarlan ButtMary Lee HuRachelle ThiewesTimothy M. Glotzbach

Sources

https://academics.siu.edu/design/art/program-tracks/metalsmithing.phphttps://academics.siu.edu/design/art/masters/https://catalog.siu.edu/programs/ad/faculty.phphttps://academics.siu.edu/design/art/faculty/smith-rick.phphttp://www.sunkyoungkim.com/about.htmlhttps://snagmetalsmith.org/2011/06/2011-snag-lifetime-achievement-award-l-brent-kington/https://news.siu.edu/2006/02/021406tc6032.phphttps://www.metalmuseum.org/post/2017/12/29/inside-the-collection-richard-mawdsley

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

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