JOHN D. MAZIARZ
Artist-in-Residence Teacher 1961 – 1999

John Maziarz was a dynamic personality, artist, and teacher at Mount Greylock. A consummate storyteller as proud of his Polish heritage as he was fascinated by the New England countryside, he often imbued his landscapes with spiritual themes that included Russian icons, halos, and angels.

A passion for learning infused John’s teaching. He made long-dead artists come alive for his students and constantly explored connections to other disciplines in hundreds of slide presentations in English, math, history and science classes.

John followed no accepted guidelines for pedagogy. His room was cluttered, His manner was at times bombastic, at times laissez-faire, but always inspiring. Intolerant only of students who put little effort into their work, he would readily tell them that a drawing was unacceptable with a sharp expletive to drive home his point.

“Maze” gave his students freedom to discover their talents and their interests, and then helped them to refine their skills and to deepen their understanding.