The Evelyn Peeler Peacock Gallery at The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes (The ARTS Council) invites you to a reception for Our Mothers’ Memory Keepers - Exploring generational memory through our senses, an exhibition featuring works by Maria Goldwyn, on Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 5-7pm, in the small works gallery space. An artist talk and brief presentation from The Alzheimer's Association will be held around 6pm.
Our Mothers’ Memory Keepers is on view from Friday, September 26 to Friday, October 31, 2025, at The ARTS Council, 79 W Market St, Corning, NY.
🧡Artist Bio:
Our mothers are our first storytellers, passing down family history through memories, traditions, and small moments. For those affected by Alzheimer’s, these connections fray, taking with them pieces of identity and shared history.
Maria Goldwyn—artist, educator, and Corning-Painted Post K–12 Art Coordinator—has taught for more than 30 years, inspiring students from Pre-K to high school. Currently, her own artistic focus encompasses watercolor, digital media, and glasswork. She serves on the boards of the 171 Cedar Arts Center and The Rockwell Museum.
This exhibition, dedicated to her mother, Patricia Davis, invites visitors to explore memory through all five senses. It is both a tribute to the beauty of remembrance and an effort to keep family stories alive in the face of Alzheimer's.
🧡Artist Statement:
Maria Goldwyn has created this installation to honor her mother, Patricia (“Pat”) Davis (“Gigi” to her grandchildren), who is living with Alzheimer's. To fully embrace this experience, the artist encourages visitors to employ all of their senses.
See the art that surrounds you. The artist has employed various media to create an immersive experience for the viewer. Note the recurring motif of Maria and Pat’s hands intertwined together. As a child, Maria had always loved holding hands and now, she and Pat do this more and more, as a tactile way to revisit fond memories from their shared history. Pat protected Maria when she was young and now the roles are reversed.
Hear the stories of connection. Maria asked friends and family to share photographs of their hands holding special items that belonged to their mothers and grandmothers. Then she requested they record short audio clips stating why these objects are so meaningful to them.
Smell the black-eyed Susans—Pat’s favorite flowers. They emit a subtle scent of anise which matches Pat’s favorite jellybean flavor—licorice! It’s an acquired taste, but don’t worry—there are also red jellybeans for you to taste, so feel free to indulge. By savoring these instantly identifiable aromas and flavors, you may release some childhood memories of your own.
Touch, relax, and feel the warmth of one of Pat’s favorite blankets while you sit in her chair—the very seat all the children and grandchildren know as “Gigi’s spot” from holiday visits and family celebrations. This is a rare treat, because everyone knows you are only allowed to lounge in this chair to save the place for Gigi!
Our senses evoke our most powerful and lasting memories. Please enjoy some of Maria and Pat’s recollections and tender moments from their decades of love. As Pat has recently begun saying to Maria, “You’ve been my best friend for a long time.”
Questions? Contact Victoria Scott, Gallery Curator, at
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📷️ Photos courtesy of Maria Goldwyn
#AlzheimersAwareness #ArtExhibitions #ExploreCorning
💜This exhibit is made possible through the generous sponsorship of The Alzheimer's Association: Rochester and Finger Lakes Region Chapter.
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