Paul Solomon

Photo of Paul Solomon
Paul Solomon
Professor of Art, Direct Encounter
Office: 
(269) 387-5255
Fax: 
(269) 387-2477
Location: 
5354 Friedman Hall, Mail Stop 5213
Mailing address: 
Gwen Frostic School of Art
Western Michigan University
1903 W Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5213 USA
Education: 
  • M.F.A., Media Arts, Ohio State University
  • B.F.A., Photography, Rhode Island School of Design
Bio: 

Paul R. Solomon is a professor of art at Western Michigan University's Gwen Frostic School of Art and is the director and lead teacher of the interdisciplinary program, Direct Encounter with the Arts.

Solomon’s primary research area since 2015 is in the Medical Humanities. He is Adjunct Community Professor in the Medical Ethics, Humanities and Law Program at Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine where he teaches The Skilled Observer in Art and Science course and related topics for medical students. Solomon founded The Skilled Observer course, which is also available to undergraduate students. Recently, Solomon has made presentations about cross disciplinary topics in art, science and medicine to diverse audiences at the Mayo Clinic Symposium on the Humanities in Medicine (2018 and 2019), psychiatric grand rounds at UCSF Medical Center (2019), the Arts Schools Network Conference (2019), the College Art Association Conference (2019), the Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University (2019), the Evidence-Based Teaching and Learning Conference, Lilly Conference, (2018). 

Solomon is an award-winning educator. He received the Innovative Teaching Award for development of outstanding online education at WMU in 2017. He also received the WMU Distinguished Teaching Award, in 2014.  

Solomon’s photography has been commissioned and published by clientele including: Adobe; American Express; Christie’s Auctions; European Travel and Life; Forbes; Interior Design; New York Magazine; Olympus Cameras; Smithsonian; U.S. Trust & Company; and Xerox. His specialty for many years was location photography done on assignment in Italy for American and Italian clients including Alitalia and Pan American airlines. His “Boundaries of Eden” photographic series was shown in a one-person exhibition in Chicago in 2013, and featured in exhibitions in Manhattan, and on Governors Island, New York, in 2014 and 2015. 

Studio:

Paul R. Solomon; Roiled City, from the series Boundaries of Eden

Paul R. Solomon; Roiled City, from the series Boundaries of Eden