Our lives are filled with stories, positive and negative, humorous and heartbreaking. They live on in our memories, informing our daily routines and relationships, resurfacing from time to time as guides for what to do next—or what not to do. This exhibition focuses on what mothers teach us, both individually and collectively.

In Pam Bowman’s installation, six story fragments from her life resonate universally as she addresses the formative issues of character development, individual purpose, and body image, as taught by her mother. These retellings in such items as trophies, resin grapes, and diet books explore how our experiences simultaneously shape us and teach us to shape ourselves. 

Jacqui Larsen’s paintings take a metaphoric look at the impossible charge of any guardian to stand as lookout for a child. Their task is to ferret out the danger and forge a path ahead, all while dispensing crucial advice: “Look both ways,” “Soap is cheap,” and “Never say never.”  

Upcoming Programming:

Kimball Art Center is excited to be partnering with The Bee, Salt Lake City’s beloved monthly gathering of brave storytellers and attentive listeners, to host a storytelling workshop drawing on the themes of our exhibition of Things My Mother Taught Me. Learn more about this event here.

Join us as we discuss When Women Were Birds: Fifty-four Variations on Voice by Terry Tempest Williams. Uniting art and literature, let’s come together for an engaging conversation that will expand our experience of the book as well and how it relates to this exhibition. Learn more here.