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André S

- Research Program Mentor

MA at Carnegie Mellon University

Expertise

Music, Arts Administration, Social Media, Project Management, Community Engagement, etc.

Bio

André Solomon (he/him) originates from Methuen, Massachusetts balancing the worlds of arts management and artistry to enforce social justice: a belief that the arts aren’t frivolous but a necessary component of human development. Existing within marginalized communities, he desires people facing oppression the opportunities to visualize representation; therefore, ownership to actualize their dreams. Within Creative Generation, a values-forward global collective, André operates as the Community Knowledge Manager amplifying the work of young creatives by producing new and honoring existing forms of knowledge and ways of knowing while dismantling systemic barriers to sharing and learning. In Pittsburgh, his current residence, he has co-directed Make Music PGH and worked for the Arts Council as the Manager of Programs. As a flutist, classically trained and jazz dabbler, he explores versatility with contemporary pieces from the late 20th and 21st centuries. André has degrees in Arts Management and Flute from Syracuse University and Carnegie Mellon University.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Where Do We Go From Here? -

From August to December 2020, the Teaching Artistry with Courtney J. Boddie podcast and Creative Generation collaborated with twenty-two inspiring Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) artists, educators, and community activists through the “We Can’t Go Back.” The interviews aggregated leadership strategies, educational tools, and an archive of the stories of BIPOC professionals whose work took action - inspired by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other countless victims at the hands of police - to further community understanding, counteract White Supremacy, and disassemble anti-Blackness in cultural and educational systems. This cumulative reflection highlights the many anti-racist, liberatory, and intersectional feminist practices, strategies, and fundamental shifts in arts and cultural work – both pedagogical and institutional – to reimagine a future to which the arts education field may move toward. Readers are invited to pause and reflect on the question: If we can't go back, where do we go from here?

Languages I know

Spanish, Beginner/Intermediate

Credentials

Work experience

Creative Generation (2020 - Current)
Community Knowledge Manager
Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council (2019 - 2022)
Manager of Programs

Education

Syracuse University
BA Bachelor of Arts (2018)
Flute
Carnegie Mellon University
MA Master of Arts (2020)
Arts Administration

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