UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A Penn State alumnus who has made a name for himself as an artist and educator will present a free public lecture as part of Black History Month activities in the College of Communications.
Chenits Pettigrew, a 2001 media studies graduate, will present “Plan for Paradise” at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, in Carnegie Cinema (113 Carnegie Building). The visit is coordinated by the Office of Multicultural Affairs in the College of Communications.
Pettigrew is an artist, producer, entrepreneur and educator, as well as the co-founder and creative director of the Brooklyn-based music and multimedia production company Soul Science Lab.
Through his company, Pettigrew has released multiple album projects, including “Footprints” in 2013 and “Plan for Paradise” in 2016. In addition, the company produced multiple multimedia projects with premier arts institutions and partnered with 651 Arts to produce “Soundtrack ’63,” a live music and multimedia retrospective of the Civil Rights Movement.
As an artist, Pettigrew, or “Chen Lo,” has shared the stage or done work with The Roots, Common, Eerykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Last Poets. In addition, he has been featured on BET, MTV and CBS.
Pettigrew’s work as an artist and educator has brought him around the world. He toured with Jazz at Lincoln Center on “The Rhythm Road,” a cultural exchange program that uses music to bring people together. Through that, he performed and implemented music, cultural workshops and classes in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Bahrain, Honduras and Ireland. On top of that, he has been involved in projects in Ghana, South Africa, Swaziland, Senegal, Vietnam and Brazil.
In addition to being a Penn State graduate, Pettigrew holds an interdisciplinary master’s degree from New York University.
“All In at Penn State” supports the University’s commitment to fostering welcoming and inclusive communities that embrace diversity, encourage meaningful discussions and are respectful of everyone regardless of their background, race, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, abilities, veteran’s status or any of the ways we differ. The initiative challenges community members to ask what they can do to embrace diversity and have a positive impact at Penn State and beyond.