Antony G. Sweeney

For the Irish horse racing journalist, see Tony Sweeney. For the footballer, see Antony Sweeney.

Antony Gerard "Tony" Sweeney
Born (1955-09-25) 25 September 1955 (age 69)
Bradford, Yorkshire, England, UK
OccupationArts manager
NationalityBritish
CitizenshipAustralian
EducationBachelor of Science (Hons.) in Physics and Electronics
Alma materUniversity of Southampton
Notable awardsFellow of the Royal Society of Arts
Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia
SpouseHelen Richardson (died 2001)
Children2

Antony Gerard Sweeney (25 September 1955) was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, England.[1]

An Australian citizen, now resident in the UK,[2] he is best known for his ten-year period as director of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in the UK[3] and a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia.[1]

Early life

Sweeney was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, to Austin Joseph Sweeney and Anne-Marie (née Gresham) Sweeney.[1] He attended St Bede's Grammar School (Bradford) and the University of Southampton.

He has a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) in Physics and Electronics from the University of Southampton.[1][3] After his studies, he spent a year traveling, following the old Hippie trail through Asia.[4]

Career

On his return to the UK, Sweeney "drifted into publishing".[4] He acted as commissioning editor in commercial book and journal publishing, initially at the Pergamon Press (Oxford) from 1979 to 1982, and then at Basil Blackwell Publishers (Oxford) from 1982 to 1988. He produced pioneering multimedia open-learning courses for the UK's Open College of the Arts, supported by television programs broadcast on Channel 4, from 1988 to 1991.[1][3]

He was the deputy director of the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television (UK) from 1991 to 2004,[1] and focused on developing the museum's brand profile and content strategies. He directed the museum's Imaging Frontiers masterplan re-development, which generated record visitor numbers and international critical acclaim. The museum is now seen as one of the leading international centres for culture and learning of its kind in the world.[3]

Sweeney was appointed director and CEO of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in 2005.[1][5][6][7]

At the ACMI he oversaw record organisational growth, performance and visitation, and a prolonged period of sustained success and achievement.[8] Having spent ten years in the role, Sweeney resigned in December 2014[9] to return to his family in Britain.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Moran, Patrick; Herd, Margaret; Gillard, Leanne, eds. (2015). Who's Who in Australia 2015. Melbourne: AAP Directories. ISBN 978-1-74095-202-6. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b Quinn, Karl (11 December 2014). "Katrina Sedgwick to lead Australian Centre for the Moving Image". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d Veski Archived 4 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine Tony Sweeney. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  4. ^ a b YouTube, Creative Talk: Tony Sweeney; retrieved 1 March 2015.
  5. ^ ACMI Archived 23 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine About Us; retrieved 28 February 2015.
  6. ^ Scanlines Archived 29 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Australian Centre for the Moving Image; retrieved 28 February 2015.
  7. ^ Coslovich, Gabriella (3 September 2004). "Yorkshire museum man to head ACMI". The Age. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  8. ^ ACMI Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine ACMI Director/CEO to retire after a decade at the helm; retrieved 28 February 2015.
  9. ^ Quinn, Karl (27 June 2014). "Tony Sweeney to step down as ACMI chief". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 March 2015.