By Jordan Imlah

A dedication and passion for the city of Provo is a rare thing to find in most 23-year-old students. While most attending BYU come and go or view their stay in Provo as a pit stop to the rest of their life, Maht Paulos has unquestionably devoted himself and his life to making the city a better place for everyone.

While doing research into Provo's history, Paulos began to fall in love and decided to do everything he could to maintain old, historic buildings and keep Provo's history intact, said Elizabeth Lightfoot, his wife.

"Maht is a very dedicated person," said Ryan Neely, owner of the Mode Boutique in downtown Provo and partner in the Sego Arts Foundation. "He'll volunteer all his time for the right cause. If he believes in something he'll do anything."

Paulos, who was one of the founding members of the Sego Arts Foundation and has worked informally with the group since 2005, is striving to boost the culture, art, music and architecture of downtown Provo with the help of friends, family and local business owners, he said.

Coupled with a love for Provo and the realization that the city lacks a cohesive group to organize the cultural and artistic efforts, the Sego Arts Foundation was the most logical step, Paulos said.

Among his latest projects was a historic Provo preservation march commemorating the existence of the Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, which was demolished July 10, despite heroic efforts to both raise money to buy the building and convince the buildings owner to rethink the decision, Paulos said.

"The march was a huge success," he said. "Having a very diverse group of about 100 people show up and march with such short notice means a lot, and it's proof that people care. We will work to save any historic, culturally or architecturally important building in the valley."

Paulos has a true appreciation for the history of Provo, Neely said. Paulos said he realized the city cared and was willing to make changes. This made him loyal to the community and optimistic about the future of Provo.

Paulos is also passionate about his work with the Sego Arts Foundation in putting on the Sego Music, Film and Arts Festival, which features the best of Utah valley musicians, artists and performers. This year's festival will be on Sept. 22 at the Castle Amphitheater at the Utah State Hospital in Provo and is free to the public.

"Provo is home to one of the least appreciated art and music scenes in the nation," Paulos said. "I feel a strong innate drive to better the world around me through positive cultural and artistic mediums."

Getting people together, getting people involved and instilling a sense of community activism is something that Paulos excels at, said Raquel Callis Smith, founder of Gallery One Ten.

"Maht is a mover and a shaker," Smith said. "He's always finding a way to make a difference, and he has a great way of making sure everyone's voice and opinion is heard."

Another portion of Paulos's time is spent working with Hotel Palindrome, a local record label, where he manages and promotes local bands.

"Our hope is that as each of bands on the label has their own music promoted, other local bands will be benefited as well," Paulos said.

The city has a "beware of the youth" mentality, which is a big problem, Smith said. But Paulos has shown extraordinary effort to overcome that.

"He has shown the city that the youth can be both hip and responsible," Smith said. "He's shown that young people can do great things, and Utah County has something to offer. I wish more people felt the way Maht does about the community."

In Paulos' free time, which is limited, he plays in his own band - Mathematics Et Cetera - sells vintage clothes on eBay and at Mode Boutique, majors in photography and spends time with his wife.

"He's like a mad scientist," his wife joked. "He always has big plans and he's constantly scheming in his mind, but he has big hopes for this town. He's a unique combination of a visionary person and a realistic one, which helps him get so much done, but sometimes I still don't know how he does it all," she said.

One thing is for sure - Maht Paulos' heart is attached to Provo and he will continue his work, his wife said.

"I have a general awareness for the importance of the individual citizen's civic responsibilities," Paulos said. "I feel an overall sense of duty and obligation to magnify personal, God-given gifts and attributes, not only for personal fulfillment, but, more importantly, to hopefully benefit the lives of others."

j_imlah@comcast.net

Copyright Brigham Young University 4 Sep 2007