University Of Houston

Now (checked 2026)

Status
Closed

What happened
The archived directory recorded a UH metals program started in 1970 with faculty Val J. Link "1970 to present." That metals/jewelry program no longer exists as a distinct offering. As of 2026, the School of Art's published areas of study list only Graphic Design, Painting, Photo & Video, and Sculpture (BFA/MFA), Art, and Art History — with no metals, jewelry, metalsmithing, or crafts concentration. The legacy departmental URL referenced by metals directories (art.uh.edu) no longer resolves to a metals program; the School of Art now lives at uh.edu/kgmca/soa. The most likely explanation is that the metals area was retired/discontinued after the founding faculty member (Val J. Link) departed/retired — consistent with the directory going offline ~2014-2019 and the area not appearing in any current UH catalog. I could not find a dated news item, press release, or accreditation notice explicitly announcing the closure, nor an explicit faculty bio for Val J. Link's retirement, so the exact closure date and mechanism remain unconfirmed. (Note: the Houston region's prominent contemporary jewelry/enamel teaching now centers on the separate Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston — a different institution, not UH.)

Link
www.uh.edu/kgmca/soa/home.php