On March 28, 2022 Mickayla Poland of St. Marys, best known for her art and design business PA Made, will hang a collection of her wildlife paintings in the Romberger Gallery at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art in Millersburg, Pa.

Poland works in acrylic, painting directly onto the glass of reclaimed wood-framed windows and picture frames. Her paintings showcase Pennsylvania elk, winter birds, and more.

The exhibit will be displayed through mid-June, with a reception on Saturday, April 23 from 1 - 4 PM.

“It's truly an honor to display my art at the Ned Smith Center,” Poland said. “Ned Smith, as a wildlife artist, naturalist, and writer is such an inspiration to me.”

In 2017, at the very first event where she sold her first paintings, she met a gentleman named Jerry Regan, who has now become her dear friend.

Regan has a long history with art and wildlife and served as the Executive Director at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art for several years. Through Jerry’s encouragement, she finally reached out to the center and applied to display her art.

“The center is a beautiful location and celebrates my two favorite things - nature and art. I'm also excited to exhibit my artwork to a new audience in the southeastern part of Pennsylvania.” Poland said.

The Elk County Council on the Arts Sales Gallery sells Poland’s paintings and graphic design work, which reflect her love of nature and the PA Wilds region. You can find her stickers and apparel in many locations locally and in her Etsy shop.

Mickayla/PA Made is also the recipient of the 2021 PA Wilds Champion of the Wilds award for Great Design. She is also an ECCOTA board member.

About Ned Smith

E. Stanley “Ned” Smith was born Oct. 9, 1919 in Millersburg, a small town on the Susquehanna River north of Harrisburg. A self-trained artist and naturalist, in his 46-year career he created thousands of astonishingly accurate drawings and paintings of wildlife for books, magazines, and other publications, as well as dozens of limited edition prints. Over the years, he created nearly 120 cover paintings for Pennsylvania Game News, the agency’s magazine, and in the 1960s he began a monthly column he dubbed “Gone for the Day” that proved to be enduringly popular.

About the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art

The Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the basis of which is to celebrate the life and works of its namesake, the nationally recognized wildlife artist, naturalist, and writer, Ned Smith. The Center’s lands offer a tranquil outdoor experience on more than 500 contiguous acres of rustic beauty just outside Ned Smith’s hometown of Millersburg, Pennsylvania, 30 minutes North of the state capital of Harrisburg. While the Center itself was founded in 1993, the permanent, physical home opened on October 9, 2004, eventually growing to house three gallery spaces, a gift shop, administrative offices, and classrooms.

Learn more:

PA Made
Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art
PA Made on Etsy
Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania
Event Poster