Antonio has resided in Cobourg for 10 years and until the end of 2018 was the Artistic Director and General Manager for Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre. He has now been hired as Artistic and Creative Consultant by the Town of Cobourg. His role over the next year will be to “develop a strategic and operational plan for the Concert Hall at Victoria Hall”. In the Town’s announcement, Director of Community Services Dean Hustwick said: “Together, along with our Community Services Division staff, we will position the Concert Hall for even greater success as a cultural anchor in this community.” This comes part way through the work of a consultant to develop a Cultural Plan for the Town. The public was last updated March 21 – see link below.
Antonio is certainly qualified in the field of Culture. The announcement says that he will work with the Community Services Division staff and will lead a “thorough review to better position it for the future”.
Further that “together, along with our Community Services Division staff, we will position the Concert Hall for even greater success as a cultural anchor in this community.”
Antonio said:
“The Concert Hall at Victoria Hall is a magnificent venue that’s central to our community. I look forward to engaging Council, Town staff and citizens on how we can continue to deliver innovative artistic experiences we can all be proud of.”
Antonio’s hiring has not come before Council – at least not yet – and there’s no word on the cost to the Town.
Links
- Town of Cobourg Awards Role of Artistic and Creative Consultant to Antonio Sarmiento – Town of Cobourg Announcement
- Port Hope’s Capitol to be restructured – 24 October 2018
- First Public Cultural Plan Meeting – 25 January 2019
- First Public Meeting on Cultural Plan – 22 March 2019
Print Article:
Antonio is fully capable of understanding the technological needs of the performance arts going into the future. The Concert Hall will be enriched with his experience and knowledge. Perhaps this TED Talk will help explain what he brings to Cobourg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlj9aPKB9m0
Welcome Antonio. Hopefully you can lean on the Council Coordinator, Committee persons and Staff assigned to this project. Equally hopeful is my expectation that, unlike the P&R Steering Committee, the deliberations will open, transparent and minuted so that interested Cobourgites can participate, even if on the periphery.
This is certainly a good news story. It is really meat on the bones for people calling for cultural initiatives. Cobourg should go much further and establish an ad hoc committee to lure movie and motion picture development in the Town.
https://images.thestar.com/yv7jpIE6wJa8dR53awyJk-K0kEU=/480×670/smart/filters:cb(2700061000)/https://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/opinion/contributors/2018/05/12/montreals-aislin-honours-legendary-star-cartoonist-duncan-macpherson-25-years-after-his-death/taxpayer.jpg
Good to have your services as a consultant for Vic Hall, Antonio.
Don’t be discouraged by some of the comments below.
They are typical of a certain mind-set, membership in a certain local association and a political party.
So welcome!
Mr. Luedtke, please do not apologize for the comments of your fellow posters. You state that we are typical of a certain mind set, membership in a certain local association and political party, but you fail to indemnify what association or party, so please be specific. Your comments that lump us all together are insulting, and make you sound like a cross between McCarthy and Trump, although they do at least specify the people and parties they hate.
Personally I believe the words of Groucho Marx are more applicable “ I DON’T WANT TO BELONG TO ANY CLUB THAT WILL ACCEPT ME AS A MEMBER.“
If you want to only post in a group that agrees with you, you should create your own blog.
You are new here, whoever you are.
Accusing me of hate-speech is a bit over the top.
Because these are the rules here:
“Disagree with an argument but don’t slander other commenters. Offending comments will be deleted; persistent offenders will be banned.”
So try to control yourself.
Congratulations to Antonio. Always enjoyed his work with the Capitol. Will be interested to see what productions he brings to Victoria Hall.
He’s not bringing productions. If the Concert Hall wants to be a premiere venue for productions, then Antonio is the creative force that will illuminate various technologies that are current. I am thinking mostly of projection illuminations and visual layering, among other things that interact .
Wally, can you give us some examples (links) of “projection illuminations” and “visual layering”. I googled these but I’m not sure I’m on the same track as you.
I have no interest educating anyone who has expressed chronic animus towards me and fabricates quotes with the purpose of denigration. . “Wally can you give us …” Speak for yourself; no one nominated you to speak on anything..
Wally, how does one fabricate a quote? One can fabricate a story, but a quote is a quote. Lifted word for word, n’est-ce pas? And don’t be so modest… you educate me almost every day.
Still trying to figure out “projection illuminations” and “visual layering”.
Is this what you mean? (gotta wait ’till about the 1:35 mark)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoIN0XlALDA
You posted this smear “Wally says says newcomers and non-native Cobourgers don’t count“” I asked you where I posted that. You declined to say. You ask things of me, but when I ask where you got this from more than once, you ignore it. You post these fabrications with the sole purpose to denigrate and disparage.
“you educate me almost every day.” sez Frenchy.
That is a meaningless assertion. And is inconsistent with your personal animus towards me.
“Wally can you give us …” Speak for yourself; no one nominated you to speak on anything..
Geez, it’s just a figure of speech Wally. If I had known you were going to go through every word, syllable or letter of my post(s), I guess I should have said “can you give some examples”
Frenchy, did you not see Antonios “projection illuminations” and “visual layering” at The Capitol in Port Hope. Shame. You would know exactly what Wally is talking about if you had.
Missed it Elaine. There must be something similar to give me an idea of what it’s all about. Any clues or links?
Was the Wolfman even close?
Go see a play by Antonio and educate yourself with creative culture.
He’s a playwright too?
Thank you Wally for the clarification.
Oh Jason, I didn’t realize that you had designated Frenchy as your query proxy. Here’s a clue — think “mapping”
Presuming that you are sans animus towards me, here is a good example for you Jason: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag7DBy4vhlQ
It’s not new, although becoming more ubiquitous. My first exposure of the concept was provided at the Czechoslovakian pavilion at Expo 67.
See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Thanks for the examples.
hey, c’mon Frenchy, the example wasn’t for you, so don’t you be looking at it on the sly like that!
Aww, that’s cute. You sticking up for your pal Wally.
Haha! Waves to Frenchy!
Nice try Manfred, but in my experience, Frenchy will always have the last word.
Walter, I have noticed that I get the last word when ever I post this: You posted this smear “Wally says says newcomers and non-native Cobourgers don’t count“” I asked you where I posted that. You declined to say. You ask things of me, but when I ask where you got this from more than once, you ignore it. You post these fabrications with the sole purpose to denigrate and disparage
He can’t reply to that, because it was a totally fabricated smear..
Wally I was being genuine when I thanked you. I enjoy your posts. I’m not taking sides here. I only came to give congratulations.
and of note, I expressed my displeasure of Antonio’s departure from the Capitol at the end of last year (on a prior posting here by John). I enjoy his work.
Has there been an explanation of why Antonio departed so precipitately from the Capitol?
I reported on this when it happened last October. The first two paragraphs of that report give the facts as seen by Capitol management and Antonio. Put succinctly, Antonio did not like the decision to split his job into two – Management and Artistic – so quit.
Thanks for the reminder. I had forgotten the explanation.
Two people (at this point) took the time to vote down a post congratulating someone… What miserable lives you must lead. Comical.
The Town website posts;
“The Town of Cobourg’s Community Services Division is pleased to announce the recent hiring of Antonio Sarmiento, who will act as an Artistic and Creative Consultant over the next year to develop a strategic and operational plan for the Concert Hall at Victoria Hall.”
According to Dubious, The Community Services Division or any other municipal department cannot employ anyone until after they are fully vetted and tendered by Town Council. What a stupid wasteful procedure. This denies any department from having any discretionary autonomy.
Go to Antonio’s Facebook site and see the ever growing congratulations from Cobourg citizens, almost all of them posting in their full names rather than surreptitiously hiding behind pseudonyms. {43 full names at this moment} There is a broad consensus that Antonio is best for the job. Why would the Community Services open a tender for this position, when everyone knows that Antonio is the best and with local knowledge. Know anyone better suited, Dubious? What a waste of time to tender this position.
Antonio sez, ” I look forward to engaging Council, Town staff and citizens on how we can continue to deliver innovative artistic experiences we can all be proud of.”
Antonio is looking forward to engaging with Cobourg citizens. I intend to do so.
More Taxpayer money down the drain..
Do you think this is ” more taxpayer money down the drain” because:
1.You do not like Mr Sarmiento
2. You do not like Mr Hustwick
3. You do not like the Town supporting the Arts
4. You do not think this is the correct approach and it will probably fail
5. You automatically write this comment for any government expenditure
or
6. You are a troll ?
It is difficult to agree or disagree if you do not specify your reasons
From Mr. Draper’s description it sounds like this is a contract position rather than another new employee. What is the cost of the contract? What is the duration of the contract? Was it tendered? What are the deliverables? What is the business case? Was the contract explicitly budgeted for or merely slipped in surreptitiously?
Regardless of merit every expenditure should be approved by Council prior to announcement.
Merriam-Webster sez surreptitious means:
1 : done, made, or acquired by stealth : CLANDESTINE
2 : acting or doing something clandestinely : STEALTHY
I do not think such malevolence by Council or municipal staff has any merit. It’s a typical pseudonym smear.
Dubious asks, “What is the duration of the contract?”
Mr Draper posted, “His role over the next year will be…”
Dubious asks, “What are the deliverables?”
Mr Draper posted, ““develop a strategic and operational plan for the Concert Hall at Victoria Hall” “position the Concert Hall for even greater success as a cultural anchor in this community.” ““thorough review to better position it for the future”.
Antonio says, “. I look forward to engaging Council, Town staff and citizens on how we can continue to deliver innovative artistic experiences we can all be proud of.”
I believe that Antonio can and will deliver on that.
Closer to my intended meaning is the OED’s definition of surreptitious” :
“ADJECTIVE Kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of”
Same thing. It attributes malevolent motives. You spread malevolent gossip that has no basis in fact.
You used it as an adverb, not as an adjective. I learned that in high school.
Thanks for your erudite correction.
Again from the OED:
“surreptitiously ADVERB
In a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention; secretively”
Thanks for your redundancy. Same thing; it attributes malevolence towards municipal employees, which you do all too often. No wonder Walter often points out your chronic paranoia towards municipal staff.
I’ll take #3 for $100 Alex. There are many more deserving projects, that could use this money