Artists gathered at Elcam in Saint Marys to share first look at products

SAINT MARYS, PA – Artisans and manufacturers from the Pennsylvania Wilds region gathered for a pre-launch event on April 8, celebrating the inaugural PA Wilds Artisan Collaborative program offered by the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship Inc. (PA Wilds Center) and sharing a first look at some of the products they created together.

The PA Wilds Center’s Artisan Collaborative program invested in rural artists to help them develop and bring to market new PA Wilds branded products to meet growing consumer demand. The Artisan Collaborative created a path for participating artists to work collaboratively with manufacturers and the PA Wilds Center to bring new products to market that reflect the 13-county PA Wilds region’s beauty, bounty and rural traditions.

Participants in the program and the public were invited to celebrate the new and unique collaboration on Tuesday. The celebration was held at Elcam in Saint Marys, which will be providing long-term fulfillment and logistical support for the products developed through the program.

Four designers were selected through a competitive application last summer, and they worked with four manufacturers to develop designs between last fall and spring of this year. Designers participating in the program included:

• Kelsey Kleiner of Smethport, McKean County;
• Julie Mader of Smethport, McKean County;
• Ellen Paquette of Warren, Warren County; and
• Rhianna Speck of Linden, Lycoming County.

Manufacturers participating in the program were:

• XtremeWear of DuBois, Clearfield County;
• Laughing Owl Press Co. of Kane, McKean County;
• Organic Climbing of Philipsburg, Centre County; and
• Saint Marys Box Co. of Saint Marys, Elk County

As a pilot program, the first year of the Artisan Collaborative helps establish a benchmark for how larger or more established companies active in the PA Wilds Center’s network can collaborate with cultural artists and newer entrepreneurs. The program also gives creative entrepreneurs the opportunity to dive deeper into their businesses and become more sustainable and profitable, ultimately helping to build rooted local and regional wealth.

“The artists had a range of experiences and background expertise, and matching them with the manufacturers was a unique process. When we got on the first matchmaking calls, we truly saw the energy that would come out of these kinds of collaborations,” said Abbi Peters, PA Wilds Center’s Chief Operating Officer. “Our team knew it was vital that we select manufacturers that could meet the scaling needs of working with the artists and market demand for these products, as well as create a variety of goods and have a passion for our region. Most of all, they needed to be flexible and creative. Helping to launch a nonprofit’s program can be uncharted waters for a business, and it’s kind of a wild ride. Each artisan and manufacturer rose to the occasion and created incredible products that proudly represent the PA Wilds.”

Peters spoke during the event, along with PA Wilds Center’s Founding CEO Ta Enos and PA Council on the Arts (PCA) Executive Director Karl Blischke.

“PCA is thrilled to support the PA Wilds Cooperative Artisan Collaborative. This initiative connects the PA Wilds experience and brand with creators, artists, and makers, and local manufactures. This unique combination promotes the Wilds and increases economic opportunity,” Blischke said. “The creative sector in PA is important to promoting the quality of our communities as vibrant places and for our economy.  The creative sector adds more than $30 billion to our economy and more than 189,000 jobs.”

The pre-launch event provided a perfect opportunity for people to get a glimpse of the fun and inspired products developed through this new initiative, including branded shipping boxes, prints, postcards, shirts, hats, totes and bags, blankets, and more. Attendees were able to meet the local artists and manufacturers who were paired up for the inaugural PA Wilds Artisan Collaborative and get a sneak peek at some of the new regionally inspired products that will soon be available.

The artists were paid for their designs, and they also were provided stipends to support professional development opportunities. While the products themselves vary, all of the designs are inspired by the unique place that the designers call home. Some highlight the landscapes or icons common in them, while others feature quirky cryptids to make people smile.

During the celebration, the Elcam facility also offered free tours of the distribution center that will store and ship products developed through this new program.

The new product lines are expected to be unveiled at the 2025 PA Wilds Dinner and Awards celebration, scheduled for Thursday, July 24 at Brass 16823, inside Titan Park, Bellefonte, PA. The products will be available for purchase after that date.

Learn more about the event at WildsCoPA.org/event/artisan-collaborative-celebration.

A portion of sales on products made through this partnership will support the PA Wilds Center’s non-profit mission to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that strengthens and inspires communities of the PA Wilds.

The opportunity was open to Professional Juried Artists in the Wilds Cooperative of PA (WCO) network who specialize in visual arts and graphic design. Participants were selected through a competitive application process. As part of its ecosystem, the Center operates three physical mission-driven PA Wilds Conservation Shop gift stores in the region, which focus on selling locally made products from rural PA, and an online marketplace, ShopThePAWilds.com, that does the same. Through just this commerce platform, the Center sees consumer demand for more locally made, PA Wilds branded products. Products developed through the Artisan Collaborative will begin to help address this market gap and will be available through physical PA Wilds Conservation Shops as well as the artists and manufacturers.

Special thanks to Artisan Collaborative program funding partners: The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the Appalachian Regional Commission, and the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

ABOUT THE PA WILDS

The Pennsylvania Wilds is a 13-county region that includes the counties of Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Warren, and northern Centre. The PA Wilds is home to the greatest concentration of public lands in the Commonwealth. The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that inspires the communities of the Pennsylvania Wilds. Based in the region, the Center is the lead nonprofit for the PA Wilds Conservation Landscape effort, a 15+year collaborative effort by local, state and federal partners to establish the region as a premier outdoor recreation destination as a way to diversify local economies, attract investment, inspire stewardship, improve quality of life and attract and retain the region’s working-age population. PA Wilds Center works closely with PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA Department of Community and Economic Development, the region’s county governments, and other investors in the regional strategy.

For more information on the PA Wilds Center, visit www.PAWildsCenter.org. To learn more about the WCO, visit www.WildsCoPA.org. Explore the PA Wilds at www.PAWilds.com. Find products made in the region at www.ShopThePAWilds.com.