The Kimball Art Center and the Arts Council of Park City & Summit County invites art lovers and the art curious to a high-energy ball of fun called the 2024 Monster Drawing Rally.

The event, set to run from 3-6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Kimball Art Center, 1251 Kearns Blvd., will feature 26 local and regional artists, who will create unique works in three, 50-minute rounds that will then go on sale.

The money raised from the sales will be split in half to benefit both the center and the Arts Council, said Jocelyn Scudder, Arts Council of Park City & Summit County executive director.

“Both nonprofits work directly with visual artists in a variety of ways, and the Monster Drawing Rally is a fun way to highlight our missions as arts-driven nonprofits in Park City and Summit County.”

The partnership of the Kimball Art Center and the Arts Council of Park City & Summit County for the Monster Drawing Rally helps foster a healthy arts and cultural community,” said Aldy Milliken, Kimball Art Center executive director.

“Each year, we look forward to hosting the Monster Drawing Rally at Kimball Art Center,” he said. “The event brings together the creative community while inviting the community at-large to participate. It’s perfectly aligned with our mission to inspire, educate and connect through art.”

The event will also feature snacks, drinks and a bar for adults, all of which are made possible by sponsors Buona Vita, Tarahumara Park City, The Boneyard Saloon and The Moab Brewery.

And attendees will be able to visit the Kimball Art Center’s current exhibition, “Less Bad” by Karl Haendel.

Parkite and fine art painter Scout Maziarz, a senior at Park City High School, is among the artists who will participate in this year’s Monster Drawing Rally. Maziarz made his Monster Drawing Rally debut last year. The event, which is scheduled for Sept.14 this year, raises funds for the Kimball Art Center and the Arts Council of Park City & Summit County. Credit: Photo by Mark Maziarz

The Monster Drawing Rally’s format hasn’t changed since it debuted eight years ago, according to Scudder.

“Artists will create an original piece of art, and at the end of a 50-minute period, all the pieces will go up for sale for $50,” she said. “If more than one person wants to purchase the piece, they will draw a playing card, and whoever draws the highest card wins. And it’s fun to see people’s faces when they’ve drawn the high card to win the piece.”

Since the night will be divided into three rounds, there are plenty of opportunities to win affordable and unique pieces of art, Scudder said.

“The Monster Drawing Rally levels the playing field and makes art accessible to everyone,” she said. “There are a lot of people, when they go to a gallery, who start to think that the works are out of their price range, and collecting art isn’t something they are able to do, so this is a fun and affordable way for them to start a collection and get to know someone who may become their favorite local artist.”

All of the artists donate their time to participate in the Monster Drawing Rally, Scudder said.

“We do an open call, and any artist is welcome to apply,” she said. “We do prefer that they are local or regional artists, and this is also a way for them to give back to the Kimball Art Center and Arts Council.”

The artists also have the opportunity to make some money through a silent auction, Scudder said.

“They all can bring in an original work of art that is already complete, and they price it themselves,” she said. “People will be able to bid on these works, and the money will be split 60-40, with 60% going back to the artist, and the remaining 40% will be split between the Kimball Art Center and Arts Council. Since most of the money goes back to the artists, we highly encourage people to place their bids in the silent auction.”

Local artist Mark Maziarz will create loose watercolor sketches of Park City’s historic buildings during this year’s Monster Drawing Rally. His works, along with pieces created by other local and regional artists, will help raise funds for the Arts Council of Park City & Summit County and the Kimball Art Center. Credit: Photo and art by Mark Maziarz

Giving artists exposure and introducing them to the public are also part of the event’s highlights, Scudder said.

“People will get a chance to ‘spy’ on the creative process of these artists and make connections with them,” she said. “And what better way to bring the community together than in a fun and energetic and loud and crazy event.”

Two of this year’s participating artists are Mark Maziarz and his 17-year-old son, Scout.

Scout, a Park City High School senior and painter, made his Monster Drawing Rally debut last year.

“I did some gouache and acrylic and paint markers,” he said. “I do a lot of rapid stuff and use all sorts of mediums.”

Scout’s attraction to visual art stems from life and the world around him.

“I see a pretty thing and think, ‘That’s so cool. I want to do that,’ or I sometimes decide to make my own pretty things,” he said.

Scout’s go-to medium is oil, but he works with different kinds of materials because he likes variety.

“They are all unique in their own way, but oil is so awesome because it’s so smooth,” he said. “I like how it looks and all the ridges and bumps it makes.”

Mark, a photographer by trade who has participated in a few Monster Drawing Rallys over the years, will create works with watercolors inspired by his pictures during this year’s event.

“I do a series of epoxy blocks, and they have a white background where I put cut-out images of historic buildings on Main Street and Miners Hospital that I have photographed,” he said. “So, what I’m going to do at this Monster Drawing Rally is do watercolor sketches of those pictures.”

If more than one person wants to purchase an original work created during the Monster Drawing Rally fundraiser, they will draw cards, and whoever holds the highest card wins. Credit: Photo by Claire Wiley

Mark likes using watercolors not only because they fit well with the rally, but because he likes the looseness of the medium.

“People have responded to these, and I love doing them,” he said. “I will also have some of my photography there as well, so people can see what I do.”

The Monster Drawing Rally is the first public event that Mark and Scout will participate in together.

“One of the things we like about our family of four is that we’re all artists,” Mark said, referring to his wife, Mary Beth, and other son Foster, who are both musicians. “We do different things, but we all do the arts, and there are days when the four of us are all doing art, and there’s such a cool vibe in the house. We bounce ideas off of each other and then go off and do things on our own. Creativity is happening everywhere, and it’s such an uplifting feeling. It’s energizing, and I just love it.”

That creativity is inspiring and has spurred other projects, Mark said.

“Foster is also into cosplay, and he creates his own costumes,” he said. “He’s done (things inspired by) ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s,’ and he just finished a Spring Bonnie one for (the upcoming) FanX Convention.”

Scout, who, for the past four years, has been part the Kimball Art Center’s Young Artists’ Academy, a program for teenagers who are dedicated to the study and practice of the visual arts, creative thinking, and creative professions, looks forward to making more connections and building on the ones he forged last year.

“I love talking with people because I love people and I can talk about my art,” he said. “It’s also nice to talk with other artists, too.”

Mark is honored to have the opportunity to participate in the Monster Drawing Rally with Scout.

“Scout got in before I did,” he said with a laugh. “I found out I got in about a week ago.”

Both are also excited to be part of an event that benefits two of Park City and Summit County’s biggest visual arts nonprofits.

“People who come to the event and are part of it are great, and we are so happy the proceeds from the art sales are going to help the Arts Council and the Kimball Art Center,” Mark said. 

The 2024 Monster Drawing Rally

Artists participating in the 2024 Monster Drawing Rally