Bradford Era – by PA Wilds Center

Four regional artists have been selected to develop new PA Wilds product lines with local manufacturers as part of inaugural PA Wilds Artisan Collaborative initiative.

Ellen Paquette, Julie Mader and Rhianna Speck at Maitri Design Co. and Kelsey Kleiner at OneTen The Studio were chosen through a competitive application process to help kick off the pilot project.

They each have been paired with a rural manufacturer or producer that is also based in the 13-county Pennsylvania Wilds region. The artist and manufacturer pairs will collaborate together in partnership with the nonprofit PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship Inc. (PA Wilds Center), to develop and bring to market new consumer products that align with the PA Wilds brand values.

Mader, of Smethport, has been partnered with Laughing Owl Press Co. in McKean County. Mader works in a variety of mediums with a range including watercolor, acrylic and painting on silk. She is drawn to the timeless appeal of the aesthetic of classic ink drawings and now has 40 years of experience rendering people, places and animals with pen and ink.

Kleiner, also of Smethport, has been matched with XtremeWear of Clearfield County. Kleiner is the owner of OneTen The Studio LLC, a digital branding and type design studio that primarily works with female-founded businesses with clients ranging from wedding photographers and architects to fashion designers and local authors, with many others in between. More