Artists, craftworkers and galleries across the Highlands and Islands will benefit from two new appointments which have just been made by HI~Arts, the arts development agency contracted by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Pamela Conacher has been appointed to the full time post of Craft Development Coordinator. Pamela is based in Lochailort, and has a long track record of successfully delivering crafts projects in the Highlands, most notably the Big Willow at Brahan Estate which was one of the early highlights of Highland 2007.

This new post of Coordinator has been jointly funded by the Scottish Arts Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and is for an initial period of one year, with the possibility of extension. The post was developed following recent independent research into the needs of the craft sector in the Highlands and Islands commissioned by HI~Arts with support from the Scottish Arts Council.

Pamela will provide advice and support services to makers across the Highlands and Islands, and will have a particular focus on the North and East of the area, where she will develop specific programmes for those areas, such as mentoring schemes, and training opportunities.

After some initial preparatory work, Pamela takes up her post from 11th August.

Rosie Somerville has been contracted on a freelance basis as part-time Visual Arts Coordinator for Skye and the West Coast. Rosie lives near Portree, and, like Pamela, has a long track record of organising and delivering arts projects on and off the island.

Her remit will be to help to secure a sound infrastructure for the visual arts and crafts in Skye, Lochalsh, Wester Ross, and Lochaber. This will include a scoping exercise for provision of the visual arts following the closure of An Tuireann in Portree last year, working with the Gaelic college Sabhal Mor Ostaig to help them exploit their new Creative Industries facility Fàs, and working with ongoing initiatives such as An Talla Solais in Ullapool, the Lime Tree Gallery and Room 13 in Lochaber.

This post has been established as a partnership between the Scottish Arts Council, Highland Council, and HI~Arts. Rosie takes up her new role on 17th June.

These appointments follow hot on the heels of a well attended and warmly-received Visual Arts Gathering which HI~Arts held at the Eden Court theatre in Inverness on 15 and 16 May, and the recent announcement of awards and bursary schemes for both artists and makers for 2008/9, through funding from both the Scottish Arts Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Commenting on the appointments Amanda Catto, Head of Visual Arts at Scottish Arts Council said: 'The Scottish Arts Council welcomes Pamela Conacher and Rosie Somerville to the posts of Crafts Development Coordinator and Visual Arts Coordinator (Skye and the West Coast). This partnership with HI~Arts has been designed to enable a long term, strategic approach to Crafts and Visual Arts development across the HIE area.'

‘The combined knowledge and expertise of the new post-holders will be invaluable in shaping future plans to build on the significant creative potential of artists, makers and arts organisations and help to encourage more people to get involved.’

Robert Livingston, Director of HI~Arts, commented: ‘HI~Arts is delighted to be able to welcome two highly skilled and experienced individuals who are very well placed to provide the kind of support which artists and makers have been asking us for.’