See the ‘Creative Makers of the PA Wilds’ Exhibit in Lock Haven this September

Opening reception will be held September 13 at The Station Gallery

Traveling along the I-80 Frontier of the Pennsylvania Wilds throughout the month of September? Be sure to stop into the city of Lock Haven to see the “Creative Makers of the Pennsylvania Wilds: A Citywide Exposition.”

The exhibit celebrating artisans and producers of rural Pennsylvania by bringing processes that are often completed behind the scenes, in the rolling hills of the Wilds, to public spaces, will be displayed at:

• Avenue 209 Coffee Shop, 209 Bellefonte Ave., from September 3 – 30.
• Lock Haven University’s Bentley Gallery, 401 N. Fairview St., from September 3 – October 5.
• The Station Gallery, home of the Clinton County Arts Council, at 2 E. Bald Eagle St., from September 13 – October 5.

An opening reception will be held at the Station Gallery from 6-9 p.m. on Friday, September 13 to kick off the exhibit.

“This is the first time the exhibit has been displayed in this multi-venue format,” said Abbi Peters, Executive Vice President of Creative Industries at the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. (PA Wilds Center). “When spread across the three venues, the entire show will feature more than 330 images of 82 artisans, creative entrepreneurs and cultural events, demonstrating the breadth of skill and talent in the Pennsylvania Wilds.”

At The Station Gallery, the exhibit will be part of the bi-annual Art in the PA Wilds Exhibit, which shows finished art inspired by the natural bounty of the Pennsylvania Wilds.

“This year’s exhibit will for the first time integrate images of Pennsylvania Wilds creative makers in the process of crafting their artworks and products – providing an opportunity for people to see the processes behind a finished piece,” explained Carol Cillo, president of the Clinton County Arts Council. 

The show at Lock Haven University’s Bentley Hall will also feature a small selection of finished works.

“The show is a unique opportunity for our students to see a cross section of dedicated artists and craftsmen actively at work in the region, and be exposed to the excellence and diversity of traditional and innovative practices of Pennsylvania based creative artists,” said Ray Heffner, Associate Professor of Art and interim Director of the Lock Haven University Art Collections.

The show can be viewed throughout the month, and the goal is to get people moving throughout the community to view the entire show, Peters noted.

Venue Hours

• Avenue 209 is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays.
• LHU Bentley Hall Gallery, located on the ground level via the front entrance, is open to the public 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
• The Station Gallery is open 1-5 p.m. on Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Exhibit Background

Artisans featured in the exhibit are juried artisan members of the Wilds Cooperative of PA (WCO), one of rural Pennsylvania’s largest networks of creative entrepreneurs, which is managed by the PA Wilds Center.

“The Pennsylvania Wilds region covers about 25 percent of the Commonwealth, but only about 4 percent of the population calls it home. A while back, it became a mission of the PA Wilds Center and the WCO to help share the stories of the artisans and makers, as well as how they create their products,” Peters explained. “This is what led to the Creative Makers of the PA Wilds – A Traveling Public Art Show.”

The exhibit features artisans from each of the 13 counties encompassed in the Pennsylvania Wilds region, including: Warren, Forest, Elk, Potter, McKean, Tioga, Clinton, Lycoming, Clearfield, Jefferson, Cameron, Clarion and Northern Centre.

The Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) has supported this project for the past two years, helping the PA Wilds Center contract with five photographers from the region to document creative makers, including: Bill Crowell, Doug Bauman, Karen Heltzel, Katie Weidenboerner-Deppen, and Tracy Smith. So far, the show has been exhibited in five public spaces across the PA Wilds, as well as the Capitol Rotunda Gallery in Harrisburg.

Details about the Creative Makers of the PA Wilds Exhibit can be found at www.wildscopa.org/creative-makers.