Gary Alan Wood named director of the Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University | Press Releases

Image: Gary Wood Gary Alan Wood has been named director of the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University. Wood comes to Fairfield with more than two decades of experience in arts management, education, programming and patron services.

"It is an honor to be associated with the Quick Center for the Arts and Fairfield University," said Wood. "I am thrilled to be a member of the Fairfield University family ... a place of vibrant educational activity with a stellar international reputation. I look forward to continuing the tradition of excellence at the Quick Center and to the opportunity to grow its mission as a great gathering place for igniting imaginations and enriching everyone who enters."

Most recently, Wood served as the president and chief executive officer of the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Each year the Pavilion hosts more than 300,000 patrons and nearly 300 annual performing arts events. As chief administrator of the institution, he was responsible for every facet, including the Husby Performing Arts Center, the Visual Arts Center, the Kirby Science Discovery Center, the CineDome Theatre, the Community Learning Center and an internal restaurant.

In making the announcement, Fairfield University Vice President of Marketing and Communications Rama Sudhakar declared, "Gary has a strong understanding of artistic programming needs and demonstrates a passionate dedication to supporting the arts. He is committed to serving the artistic needs of both the campus community and the surrounding communities," said Sudhakar. "I am confident that Gary will lead the Quick Center to even greater success in the coming years."

Wood formerly served as president and CEO of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA), leading the conservatory for arts education through a redesign of the entire curriculum and performing arts offerings after Hurricane Katrina. Under his leadership, NOCCA received the Public Leadership in the Arts Award from Americans for the Arts. Wood has also been a factor in achieving recognition for developing educational and performance opportunities for the Minnesota Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Wood is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a bachelor's degree in music education and a master's degree with an emphasis in woodwind performance and educational practices. As a graduate assistant in the Peabody Conservatory at the Johns Hopkins University, he also served as an assistant conductor and principal clarinetist in a wind ensemble.

As director of the Quick Center for the Arts, Wood will be responsible for all Quick Center programming and the management of the 760-seat Kelley Theater, the 120-seat Wien Experimental Theatre (Black Box), the Thomas J. Walsh Art Gallery as well as the expert professional staff that ensures the Center runs smoothly.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary year, the Quick Center for the Arts hosts a wide variety of professional music, theatre, dance and young-audience events each year. In 2008, the performing arts center installed $250,000 worth of Dolby Digital audio-video surround sound system equipment, an investment that has expanded the premiere Center's technological capabilities. With this new equipment and in addition to its full schedule of performances, the Quick Center for the Arts now presents technologically sophisticated broadcasts in high-definition, of which The Met: Live in HD and National Theatre Live are two of the best attended .