ECCOTA and CEC partner with John Schlimm to launch THE SMILE ZINE

Elk County Council on the Arts and Community Education Center of Elk and Cameron Counties are partnering with John Schlimm to launch his latest community art project titled THE SMILE ZINE: Art and smiles should be accessible to everyone.

Produced as both an e-zine and a printed edition of 1,000 free copies, THE SMILE ZINE is an 80-page black-and-white zine that uses the simple image and reference point of a human smile to draw attention to the very timely importance and meaning of art and mental health, as well as the accessibility, exploration, reflection, and intersection of both. And each cover has a colorful smile individually hand-inked by John.

 Short for magazine or fanzine, a zine is a small-circulation collection of images, text, and other artwork that traditionally is handmade and reproduced via photocopier by one person or group around one theme or cause, such as “Art and smiles should be accessible to everyone.”

In the tradition of artists like Keith Haring and the riot grrrl movement and more recently Austin Kleon, Ben Watts, and Jonas Brothers, as well as outsider creatives active in the 70’s and 80’s punk and activist scenes in LA and NYC, each page of THE SMILE ZINE visually explores these concepts of art and mental health through mixed-media collages and montages of words, images, drawings, interactive questions, and more. John both created new pieces exclusively for this work and also appropriated other components from his vast archive of original sketchbooks, books, and other works, along with letters and words clipped from magazines, newspapers, and other sources, and reassembled them.

“As an artist and mental health advocate, THE SMILE ZINE is a visual, fun, and engaging way for me to convey the message that art and mental well-being should be available to everyone,” John Schlimm said. “It gives the viewer of any age countless entry points for exploring and reflecting on this message, and then deciding what it means to them personally.”

Next up for John will be the release of The Brain Zine: How often do you think about your brain?, which is launching nationwide in May in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Printed copies of THE SMILE ZINE are free and can be picked-up at the ECCOTA Gallery in Ridgway, PA, and the CEC in St. Marys, PA, while supplies last. Copies will also be given to every student who is participating in The Gen-Z Community Service Summit at Ridgway Middle-High School on April 20. Additionally, the e-zine edition can be downloaded for free at JohnSchlimm.com.

In addition to ECCOTA and CEC as partners on this project, funding for THE SMILE ZINE was made possible by ECCOTA’s Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator Program grant via Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and a grant from Ridgway Borough Charitable Fund held at the Elk County Community Foundation. The printing of THE SMILE ZINE was facilitated locally at Printing Plus in St. Marys.

Mickayla Poland to exhibit at Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art

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

Upcoming Class: Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving

Join experienced local weaver Patricia Cleary for this three-part class and learn how to weave your own scarf on a rigid heddle loom.

This class is suitable for beginners with little to no weaving experience. Ages 10+ are welcome with adult supervision. Each participant will complete the class with a finished project.

Participants must provide at least 200 yards of their own medium-weight yarn. Any non-fuzzy natural or synthetic fiber is suitable for this type of weaving. Our low cost recommendations are cotton Peaches & Cream, Sugar & Cream brands. Bring a few options if you wish!

Please note, this is a three-part class taking place March 26, April 9 & 16, 10AM - 2PM in the Elk County Council on the Arts Sales gallery. Please plan to attend all three. Advanced registration is required and limited to 4 participants.

REGISTER HERE: https://form.jotform.com/212506063911144

Entry to Program Stream Deadline February 15th, 2022

The Elk County Council on the Arts is a regional partner with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts to distribute Entry to Program Stream funding to organizations that support the arts in Cameron, Elk, Forest, Potter and McKean counties.

Apply for Entry to Program Stream to receive funding for operating expenses, art-related programs, and projects. This application is for nonprofit organizations, schools, and units of government that have annual revenue of less than $200,000 and have a history of consistent art-related programming.

If you think that you may qualify for Entry to Program Stream but are not sure, please call the Elk County Council on the Arts staff. We would be able to help find the right grant opportunity for you.

 For more information on Entry to Program Stream go here. To view the application or to apply, go to this link.

The deadline to apply is February 15th, 2022.

If you have questions please, contact Marisa Gonzalez at (814) 772-7051 or marisa@eccota.com.