Molly Hudgins, executive director, SIU Alumni Association, hammers on a textured steel panel as part of a metalsmithing demonstration. (Photo by Nicholas Knappenburger, marketing coordinator, SIU Alumni Association.)
April 06, 2026
University officials help forge a wind chime
School of Art and Design students supplied the fire, forge, hammers and anvils — along with instruction and encouragement — as SIU Carbondale officials helped forge a wind chime during a March 30 metalsmithing demonstration at Pulliam Hall.
Jeffery Burgin, vice chancellor for student affairs; Paul Frazier, vice chancellor for anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion; Molly Hudgins, executive director of the SIU Alumni Association and David Shirley, chief of staff with the chancellor’s office and executive director of institutional effectiveness, planning and research, supplied the willingness to learn as they helped fabricate the textured steel panels that became the Chancellor’s Saluki Wind Chime.
The wind chime will be featured in the Southern Illinois Metalsmith Society (SIMS) metals conference this fall. The annual conference includes an invited artist demonstrating artistic metal forging techniques, small metals demonstrations and live and silent auctions that include items donated by faculty, current students and metals program alumni.
Students who are part of the registered student organization Southern Illinois Metalsmith Society who helped with the instruction were art graduate students Bowen Beaty, Joshua Beltran, Hannah Litt, Sydney Torrez, and undergraduate studio art students Jonathan Barr and Kelsey Benoit.
Jack Nawrot, a senior scientist emeritus at SIU: Hong Cheng, dean of the College of Arts and Media; Xuhong Shang, director of the School of Art and Design; and metalsmithing faculty Rick Smith and Sun Kim were also among those present during the demonstration.