{"id":160279,"date":"2026-09-23T15:31:50","date_gmt":"2026-09-23T20:31:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=160279"},"modified":"2026-09-25T16:14:52","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T21:14:52","slug":"students-craft-chancellors-medallion-and-become-part-of-uwm-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/students-craft-chancellors-medallion-and-become-part-of-uwm-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Students craft chancellor\u2019s medallion and become part of UWM history"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Thomas Gibson is inaugurated as UW-Milwaukee\u2019s 10th chancellor, part of the ceremony will connect a longstanding tradition with the hands-on work of a new generation of artists.<\/p>\n

Gibson will receive a Chancellor\u2019s Medallion created through UWM\u2019s Peck School of the Arts. The medallion represents the chancellor\u2019s position as the university\u2019s chief executive and becomes part of the official regalia worn at commencement.<\/p>\n

Department of Art & Design faculty member Erica Meier oversaw the creation of the medallion with students Marlena Weghorn and Abraham Anderson.<\/p>\n

\"A
UWM faculty member Erica Meier (left) looks over the design of the medallion with students Marlena Weghorn and Abraham Anderson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Weghorn is a double major in studio art and art education, and Anderson is a studio art major. Both are focusing their studio art studies on jewelry and metalsmithing.<\/p>\n

For Meier, the commission was a natural fit for a discipline centered on created objects meant to last.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking heirloom objects is literally what we train students to do,\u201d Meier said.<\/p>\n

Building the future into design<\/h2>\n

The medallion takes its inspiration from \u201cForthcoming,\u201d a concept representing continual progress, collective support and the promise of a future shaped by education, leadership and community.<\/p>\n

\"The
The medallion features the UWM seal surrounded by a ladder-like structure that represents upward movement, access, stability and the collective support that makes growth possible.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At its center is the official UWM seal, constructed from layered metal elements with contrasting black and gold finishes. The layers represent the accumulation of knowledge, and the contrast between dark and luminous evokes both foundation and aspiration.<\/p>\n

Surrounding the seal is a ladder-like structure inspired by architectural scaffolding and buttressing. The forms represent upward movement, access, stability and the collective support that makes growth possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cForthcoming means growth,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cThrough my time here, I\u2019ve seen so much growth, so many positive things happening, and the way I think we really showed that through the medallion is through that structure around the main piece.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u201cForthcoming,\u201d
\u201cForthcoming,\u201d represents continual progress, collective support and the promise of a future shaped by education, leadership and community.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The neckpiece extends that symbolism through interconnected lattice-like links representing UWM\u2019s schools, colleges, divisions and affiliated programs. Freshwater pearls within the links connect the piece to Milwaukee\u2019s location on Lake Michigan.<\/p>\n

Together, the elements portray the university as an evolving structure strengthened by the people and programs within it.<\/p>\n

Learning through making<\/h2>\n

Bringing the design to life required the students to translate initial sketches into digital models and eventually a complex physical object through fabrication, assembly and plenty of problem solving.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can never fully predict everything that\u2019s going to happen,\u201d Weghorn said.<\/p>\n

For her, one of the rewards was watching individual components become something much larger.<\/p>\n

\u201cStarting with small pieces of tubing and wire and sheet, all of a sudden, I have 16 ladder structures that support a medallion.\u201d<\/p>\n