Georgia Tech Names Director of Office of the Arts

Following a national search, Georgia Tech has named A. Madison Cario director of the Office of the Arts.
Madison Cario has been named director of Georgia Tech's Office of the Arts.

Madison Cario has been named director of Georgia Tech's Office of the Arts.

Following a national search, Georgia Tech has named a leader for its Office of the Arts. Rafael L. Bras, provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs, and William Schafer, vice president for Student Affairs, are pleased to announce the appointment of A. Madison Cario as the director of the Office of the Arts at Georgia Tech effective August 4, 2014. 

Cario comes to Tech from The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was named director of Student Engagement last year. She has served as the director of Special Artistic Initiatives for the past four years, as well as the director of Operations and Facilities for the past seven years.

“It is an honor to welcome Madison Cario to the arts leadership team,” Bras said. “My conversations with her make me confident that under Madison’s leadership Arts@Tech will continue to use the arts on campus to strengthen the research and study areas in significant ways. I want to take the opportunity to thank Joe Bankoff, chair of the Nunn School for International Affairs, for leading the search. My appreciation extends to all the members of the committee.”

The primary charge of the Office of the Arts is to enhance the creativity of Georgia Tech students and faculty through engagement and participation in performing and visual arts experiences. There are various opportunities for the Office of the Arts to connect with the both the academic and student communities of the Institute. Georgia Tech has a culture of innovation throughout its campus, and there is a need to connect and use the arts on campus to strengthen the research and study areas in significant ways. The new Office of the Arts Director will actively seek out these connection points to find opportunities for creative expression.

The director is responsible for the Arts@Tech initiative’s operation, financial performance, and programming, including the operations and programming of the Ferst Center, a role formerly under the then director of the Ferst Center for the Arts.

Cario said she is looking forward to her new role.

“I cannot imagine a more exhilarating and inspiring place to be than here, right in the middle of the intersection of arts and technology,” Cario said. “With creative competency essential to global competitiveness in the 21st century, Arts at Tech is, simply put, the right idea at the right time.”

In her roles with The Annenberg Center, Cario created strong connections with student performing arts groups through several initiatives to increase student participation and sense of belonging at the Center. She altered By Local programming — a performance series designed to bring local artists to campus — to favor more innovative, process-oriented work. She also supported experimental cross-genre work with artists interested in collaborating with students, and utilized non-traditional spaces for performance resulting in higher student attendance.

Georgia Tech’s Office of the Arts reports to Schafer, vice president for Student Affairs.

“I am pleased to welcome Madison Cario as the new director of the Office of the Arts,” Schafer said. “In addition to her background in the performing arts, Madison has great experience working with student engagement in the arts. I’m looking forward to seeing the impact she will have on Georgia Tech students and faculty.”

Cario holds a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication, Summa Cum Laude, from Temple University.

 

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