“I've always been an artist,” says recent Park City High School graduate Scout Maziarz. “I think many people are almost born that way, but I didn't get really into it until maybe freshman or sophomore year. Truthfully, I think I just wasn't doing a whole lot else, and I didn't feel excited about doing things besides art. It's always something that feels natural. Something to lean back into.”

In the short time since Maziarz began leaning back into art, he has completed several public art projects in his hometown and farther afield. “I’ve been a busy bee over the last year. I think the very first public art project I was involved with was the China Bridge parking lot mural. But since then, I’ve filled a Gondola with a little cardboard version of Park City, painted a handful of mural boards down in Salt Lake, and I’m now working on painting a chairlift for Sunrise on Sunset [nonprofit benefit auction]. Along with public art, most of my “work” time is spent painting private commissions for folks.” As for what it means for residents and visitors to Summit County to be able to access high-caliber Arts & Culture events, Maziarz is resolute: “I think it's everything. It is so important to have a vibrant arts community because it serves as a basis for connection. Park City is a unique town, for better or worse, but I think the arts almost always make it better.”

Maziarz was also a 2024 Arts Council Summer Intern, a role he reprised for the 2025 Summer event season. “Being an Arts Council intern was wonderful. I liked it because it was never the same thing, sometimes we’d be handing out flyers, and other times we would be setting up tents for arriving artists. But of course, the thing that makes interning great is the amazing people we meet. Everyone on the Arts Council team, and really just the people who came to the events, were so supportive, creative, and fascinating. One of my favorite memories from last year was from the Summit Arts Market in Oakley. Kendall [Kelley, Marketing + Community Relations Manager] and I had to go grab some ice because it was so horribly hot, and we made a quick pitstop at the Weber River and went swimming to cool off. I’m a big fan of swimming in the river.”

Luckily for Maziarz and other Summer Arts & Culture enthusiasts, Summit County hosts myriad events to take advantage of the warm weather and spectacular outdoor spaces. “Of course, [Kimball] Arts Fest is always a ball for locals and tourists. I also really enjoy a lot of the events the [Canyons Village Management Association] helps host like Fourth of July…or concerts on the slopes.” Maziarz also cites the Arts Council and CREATE PC as “important…to help connect artists and the community. It feels so good to have people who are super knowledgeable about the local art scene support me.” An emerging artist, Maziarz doesn’t take for granted the wisdom of his creative elders. “I feel like a sapling almost. It sounds a little bit silly but there's so many wonderful artists and art enjoyers that have been around for longer than I've been alive. I feel so happy to share my work, and happy to absorb and learn all I can from those around me.”

A long-time painter, Maziarz has been experimenting of late with calligraphy. “I’ve been enjoying incorporating more lettering into my work recently. I just did this guitar with some gold ink calligraphy around the subject and I think it has some interesting potential.” Beautifying a musical instrument is a natural step for someone who loves music as much as Maziarz. “I really love Paul Simon. I think his songs are so profound and inspiring. I'm sure I've listened to his whole discography seven times over. Especially his album The Rhythm of the Saints(1990). It's full of such beautiful and worldly music, and it makes me want to make the kind of art that makes people think.” Beyond his artistic pursuits, Maziarz collects vinyl records (“I listen to a lot of classic rock on the aforementioned records”), skis a lot (“I had 60 ski days last season”), and delights in lagomorph companions—“I also have two rabbits, Jack and Twig, one really little and the other huge. They are so cute and really a highlight of most of my days.”

Maziarz’s next step on his artistic journey will take him far from Utah and the mountains he calls home. “I am going to Art School! I’m going to Tufts in Boston and splitting time between their School of the Museum of Fine Arts and their regular campus. I’ll get a degree in fine arts and one in sociology or anthropology or something. I haven't quite figured out the subject of the second degree. I had such an evil time deciding. The school itself is very charming but I was made for the mountains, and Boston is not ‘the mountains.’ The biggest reason I didn't want to go there was because the closest ski hill has 309 feet of vertical. For reference, First Time at [Park City Mountain Resort] has 276 feet of vertical space. Alas, I will still have winter and spring breaks to ski where the creator intended (Utah).”

You can find more of Maziarz’s work on his website and instagram.

Scout Maziarz: A Vibrant Arts Community Connects Summit County