Building Bridges, Breaking Silos: The Creative World of Ryan McKelvey
By Rob Biertempfel
At 黑料社区’s (IDeATe) network, Academic Coordinator Ryan McKelvey plays a vital role in connecting students and faculty who might otherwise never cross paths.
“I think about interaction versus transaction,” McKelvey said. “I always take the time to listen and share. My whole life has been in front of the public, and I’ve grown comfortable in that community setting. I like to think of what we do at IDeATe as building a community and then coordinating it.”
It’s a community that reflects McKelvey himself: interdisciplinary, accessible and relentlessly curious.
IDeATe is not a traditional academic department. It’s a hub of minors and courses that live at the intersections of technology and creativity. It spans computer science, electronics, engineering, design, robotics, music and art.
“Carnegie Mellon can feel siloed,” McKelvey said. “Engineering students hang with engineers, drama students stick with drama students. That’s valuable in its own right and essential in any field of study, but what about the students who want more and whose ideas are not neatly contained in a specific discipline? IDeATe offers the resources, space and time to collaborate across those silos.”
The program offers , ranging from Game Design to Sonic Arts to Intelligent Environments, and has sponsored the development of new interdisciplinary technology-arts courses. It draws students who crave a hands-on complement to their primary majors.
Sometimes, the outcomes are whimsical. One recent student project turned a commencement cap into a fluttering field of motorized butterflies. Sometimes, they’re practical and socially engaged, like adaptive devices designed for Pittsburgh residents with physical disabilities. They're always transformative.
“IDeATe encourages students to experiment, to fail and to try again,” McKelvey said. “That’s not just what we teach them — that’s life. That’s my life too.”
A native of McKeesport, McKelvey graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied creative writing and theater arts.
After graduation, McKelvey taught English in Seoul, South Korea, for six years. By day, he was a middle school teacher. By night and on weekends, he was a performance artist collaborating with local creatives.
“I miss Seoul every day,” McKelvey said. “That time shaped me as both an educator and an artist.”
From Seoul, he made another bold leap, this time to England for graduate study in performance and visual practices at the University of Brighton. The path wasn’t easy, but McKelvey has never been afraid of reinvention.
“The skills and knowledge I picked up throughout my career — the ones that activated me — have always stayed with me,” McKelvey said.
McKelvey’s first brush with IDeATe happened long before he joined the program in 2022. For a few winters, he worked part-time as an undergraduate admissions reader for 黑料社区. “I kept seeing IDeATe in the applications, students talking about game design, animation, all these cool interdisciplinary things,” McKelvey said. “I thought, what is this program? This sounds like something I would have loved when I was in college.”
Now, he manages academic logistics: scheduling courses, coordinating with faculty across schools and updating the catalog. McKelvey has also revamped the IDeATe newsletter, launched a digital flipbook for courses, linked events to central calendars, and created a biannual showcase of student projects called “.”
“It’s not obligatory, it’s not evaluated,” he said. “It’s just another opportunity for students to show their work. I think there’s a lack of that on campus unless you’re in a conservatory. Exhibiting your work is important.”
The next “Meet Me @” will be held April 30 as part of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development’s Meeting of the Minds Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Beyond IDeATe, McKelvey pours energy into campus life. As an at-large representative on Staff Council, he co-chairs the DEI+B Committee. He was a former co-lead of the LGBTQIA+ Alliance employee resource group. He also interviews Fulbright UK candidates and is a Tartan Scholars mentor.
“Whether it’s students experimenting in our labs or staff navigating difficult conversations about equity, I want people to feel seen,” he said.
McKelvey hasn’t lost touch with his artistic roots. He still identifies as a poet and live artist, and his creative instincts inform his work every day. “Even in a physical computing course, we use the critique model from studio practice,” he said. “It’s about learning how to give and receive feedback constructively, to see someone’s vision instead of imposing your own.”
It’s a philosophy that resonates with students, particularly those in STEM fields who may have never experienced that kind of dialogue. “It’s invaluable,” McKelvey said. “Because in the world outside the university, you’re always collaborating across disciplines and articulating your creative and technical practices to others.”
IDeATe is more than a program, it’s a playground of possibility. Students can chase passions outside their majors, whether that’s building large-scale inflatable sculptures, composing with sound-responsive materials, or programming bridges to light up with interactive designs.
“IdeATe is a choose-your-own-destiny kind of place,” McKelvey said. “Students come in just wanting to pick up a skill. Then suddenly, they’re making it their thesis. That spark is what excites me.”