Shaver’s Creek is full of local artwork! Take an Art in the Landscape tour by visiting the locations below. You can grab a paper guide in our Visitor Center, if you prefer a physical copy.
Art at the Visitor Center
Eastern Rat Snake Door Handle
Artist: Jeanne Stevens-Sollman, Patton Township, PA
Installed in 2018
Location: Front door
The eastern rat snake is a common, non-venomous snake species in Pennsylvania. This bronze sculpture was inspired by a large six-foot rat snake that visited artist Jeanne’s front door, climbing up the stone wall to reach a nest of wrens. Although some people have fearful perceptions of snakes, Jeanne says, “It is my hope that the doorhandle will arouse curiosity in visitors to Shaver’s Creek and encourage a love of snakes.”
Northern Fence Lizard Model
Artist: Kevin Abbott, Jabebo Studio, Bellefonte, PA
Installed in 2022
Location: Bookstore
Northern Fence Lizards are one of two lizards native to Central Pennsylvania and can reach 4 to 5 inches in length. This larger-than-life model is made from wood fibers recycled from cereal boxes. Scraps of cereal boxes were shredded and made into a wet pulp using a blender. The pulp was then shaped around a styrofoam core (also recycled). For this project, Kevin spent time observing fence lizards in the wild along the Standing Stone Trail, and enjoyed exploring the paper pulp medium through trial-and-error.
Stained Glass Window Panels
Artist: Mary Ellen Gutknecht, Crow River Art, MN
Installed in 2026
Location: Bookstore
This series of stained glass panels depicts the landscape of Shaver’s Creek through the seasons, beginning in fall on the left and progressing through summer on the right. Mary Ellen likens her process to “painting with glass”, with each project offering new challenges to find just the right color of glass to express the content and feeling of the panels. She says, “It is always rewarding to know that stained glass panels and installations capture the attention, and move people to ask questions and appreciate this timeless art form.”
Woodland Portal Series
Artist: Deirdre Murphy
Installed in 2026
Location: Bookstore
Deirdre Murphy participated in Shaver’s Creek’s “Long Term Ecological Reflections Project” (LTERP) in the summer of 2021. During her visitations to the eight project sites, she focused on tree cavity-nesting birds and used her paintings to imagine how woodpecker holes provide a rare viewfinder through which to glimpse the forest from a new vista.
Art Around the Klingsberg Aviary
Passenger Pigeon Statue
Artist: Todd McGrain, The Lost Bird Project
Installed in 2021
Location: Entrance to the aviary
Once considered the most abundant bird on earth, the Passenger Pigeon was a bird of the eastern deciduous forest, where it formed massive flocks The clearing of the forests, as well as market hunting, took the species from billions to none. The Lost Bird Project, conceived by artist Todd McGrain, recognizes the tragedy of modern extinction by immortalizing five extinct North American birds in sculpture. In 2021, a traveling set of sculptures from The Lost Bird Project came to central Pennsylvania, and thanks to the generosity of Dr. Cyrus Klingsberg, the Passenger Pigeon sculpture remains at Shaver’s Creek forever, connecting visitors to the critical importance that biodiversity plays in the natural world.
Chalkboard Mural
Artist: Everyone
Installed in 2026
Location: Bathhouse exterior
Shaver’s Creek invites visitors to contribute to the Art in the Landscape by leaving your mark on our chalkboard mural. You’ll find a variety of colored chalk and a prompt to inspire your creativity. This is a living mural – once it fills up with your drawings, we will take a picture to share online, clear the board and start fresh. Come back again and again to share your art and celebrate 50 years and more of Shaver’s Creek!
Art in Litzinger Herpetarium
Invertebrate Exhibit Mural
Artist: Telah Zinobile
Installed in 2025
Invertebrates (animals with no backbone) make up the majority of animal species on the planet, and many groups of invertebrates are more diverse and numerous than their vertebrate counterparts. They perform essential ecosystem functions, serving as decomposers, pollinators, and a food source for many other animals. This mural depicts a few of Shaver’s Creek’s ambassador invertebrate species, and reminds us of the interconnectedness of the ecosystem’s components as a whole.