Luqmon Abdus-Salaam
Senior Advisor of Programs/Curriculum
He provides strategic guidance and expertise to executive leaders in regards to long-term planning and helps define business objectives and goals. He helps to define the overall strategy and vision.
Bio
Luqmon Abdus-Salaam has had a fortunate path of serving the region for over 25
years in artistic expression, arts education and community organizing, engaging a
variety organizations in multiple ways. He is a practicing Artist, educator, community
organizer, cultural Purveyor, and creative thinker. Who began his artistic travel with
work as a thespian/spoken word artist in the early 90’s performing throughout the
region, while also working in theater with the legendary Kuntu Rep theatre out of the
University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Salaam has been involved in the inception of several
artist collectives in the region, using arts and cultural as tools for community
organizing such as Bridgespotters, which conducted cultural arts programming in the
region in the late 90’s. Laying the ground work for grassroots institutions to emerge
in the region, most notably the now legendary Shadow Lounge. Adding to this, he
has been contracted by countless after school & in school programs in a variety of
capacities; designing creative projects and programs. Mr. Salaam has been involved
in either the piloting or inception of some of the region’s best media arts programs
such as; Hip Hop On Lock, Arts Greenhouse in partnership with Carnegie Mellon
University, OnehoodMedia, and The YMCA’s media arts program Lighthouse.
As a facilitator, teacher and mentor, he has acquired classroom experience from
elementary to master/ Adult level. Mr. Salaam has presented in a multitude of
educational environments from colleges to penitentiary on cultural influences,
history, race relations, creative expression, and arts education. Community
organizing around issues of equity and inclusion in various capacities for Non Profits
organizations and independent contracting. Gaining experience community
engagement projects or the development of processes for communal growth. He
has been able to either teach, facilitate or lecture to both youth and adult in
educational and community environments . Mr. Salaam has also created various
communication methods for youth and adult groups designed to gain confidence in
their own abilities to self express positivity and properly having been trained to run
various programs such as life-skills, drug and alcohol prevention, bully prevention,
curriculum development, SWAT analysis, diversity training, media literacy. he
developed an cultural & media arts curriculum through the support of the Heinz
Foundation’ called creative culture which was piloted through the LightHouse project
at Westinghouse high school and the YMCA. Including several development
trainings for teachers and educators in the public school systems of allegheny
county using cultural analysis toward cultural understanding.