SAINT MARYS, PA – The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship Inc. (PA Wilds Center) invites the public to celebrate a new and unique collaboration between rural artisans and manufacturers in the region. A Pre-Launch Celebration for the inaugural PA Wilds Artisan Collaborative will be held on Tuesday, April 8, from 3-5 p.m. at Elcam in Saint Marys.

The 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.

Four designers were selected through a competitive application last summer, and they were paired 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

“The Artisan Collaborative provided a new opportunity to work collaboratively with both local artisans and manufacturers to bring new products to market that reflect this region’s beauty, bounty and rural traditions,” said Abbi Peters, PA Wilds Center’s Chief Operating Officer. “As a pilot program this year, it helps establish a benchmark for how larger or more established companies active in our 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 pre-launch event will provide 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. 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.

The Pre-Launch Celebration will begin at Elcam in Saint Marys on April 8 at 3:00 with opening remarks. From 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., there will be an open house with product stations displaying work from the artisans and manufacturers. 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.

During the celebration, the Elcam facility will also offer free tours of the distribution center that will provide long-term fulfillment services for the products developed through this new program.

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

A program of the nonprofit PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, the PA Wilds Artisan Collaborative invests in rural entrepreneurs and local manufacturers through the collaborative development of new branded products that inspire pride, creating new economic opportunities for the region’s local communities. A portion of sales for 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.