Publicly funded art galleries throughout the Highlands and Islands are set to benefit from the appointment of a visual arts marketing co-ordinator, funded by the Scottish Arts Council National Lottery Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

Marcus Wilson, former marketing manager at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London, has been appointed to the two-year post and will carry out a three months 'residency' in each gallery, helping them to develop a marketing plan and promote themselves more successfully.

The new post, the first of its kind in the UK, has been created by HI-Arts, the arts development agency for the HIE network, and could serve as a pilot for similar arts marketing agencies throughout the country.

Marcus has recently started his first residency with Art.tm in Inverness and Highland Council Exhibition Services. In November he will move to the Pier Arts Centre in Stromness, Orkney. During each residency he will prepare and begin to develop a plan for the host gallery, while working on an ongoing strategy for the network of galleries as a whole. Marcus will also be on hand to help individual artists in each area with a series of one to one surgeries to help them promote their work through mediums such as the Internet.

Originally from Yorkshire, Marcus spent the last three years living and working in London, working at the International Students House and the Harrogate Theatre before taking up his post as marketing manager at the Bloomsbury Theatre.

Marcus graduated from York University with a BA in English Language and Linguistics and his interests include European cinema, graphic design and sound engineering.

On taking up his appointment with HI-Arts, Marcus Wilson said: "I am thoroughly looking forward to the challenge of developing a marketing strategy for visual arts in the Highlands and Islands. Other areas of the arts, especially the performing arts, are extremely sophisticated in the way they promote themselves but the visual arts has not made the same investment in good marketing practice up to now. I see this as a great opportunity for all involved."

Robert Livingston, director of HI-Arts said: "The galleries of the Highlands and Islands are a tremendously rich resource, and this is a great opportunity to ensure they receive all the public interest and attention they deserve."

The organisations taking part in the project are Art.tm, Inverness; Highland Council Exhibition Services; Pier Arts Centre, Stromness, Orkney; An Tobar Art Gallery, Tobermory, Mull; An Tairbeart, Tarbert, Argyll; An Tuireann Art Gallery, Portree, Skye; Taigh Chearsabhagh Art Gallery, Lochmaddy, North Uist; An Lanntair Art Gallery, Stornoway, Lewis; Timespan Art Gallery, Helmsdale, Sutherland; Another Space Ltd, Invergordon; Bonhoga Art Gallery, Weisdale, Shetland.