Peter Precourt hangs one of the works for the “There Goes My Hero: Chapter 1 Peyton Brewer-Ross” show on Thursday at the Art:Works on Main gallery in Winthrop. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

WINTHROP — Peyton Brewer-Ross will be remembered for many things — his humor, love for Slim Jim, being a great father and cornhole partner.

Peyton Brewer-Ross Bath Iron Works

And that’s exactly how his family and friends choose to remember him, not as a victim of the Lewiston mass shooting.

It’s also one of the goals of Peter Precourt’s latest art installation, “There Goes My Hero,” at his gallery Art:Works on Main, at 127 Main Street in Winthrop, where Brewer-Ross’s life is displayed through art that he made in college, along with art from his family, friends and Precourt.

The gallery had it’s opening Saturday morning at 11 a.m., attended by most of Brewer-Ross’s family and friends, where they shared their own memories of Brewer-Ross and even added some of their own art to the collection.

“He was full of love and light, had an incredible sense of humor, and was an amazing father,” said Rachael Sloat, Brewer-Ross’ fiancé. “This will help keep his memory alive.”

Brewer-Ross, 40, of Bath was one of the 17 victims from the Oct. 25 Lewiston mass shooting.

Peter Precourt levels a sign in the front window for the “There Goes My Hero: Chapter 1 Peyton Brewer-Ross” on show Thursday at the Art:Works on Main gallery in Winthrop. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Sloat had Precourt as an art professor at The University of Maine at Augusta, and Precourt reached out to Sloat to see if a gallery was something she wanted to do to remember Brewer-Ross.

A painting of Peyton Brewer-Ross holding his daughter, Elle, frames other artworks in the “There Goes My Hero: Chapter 1 Peyton Brewer-Ross” show seen Thursday at Art:Works on Main gallery in Winthrop. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Precourt wanted to do the gallery as a way to remember Brewer-Ross, but also to continue the discussion around gun violence. He plans to reach out to other families impacted by the Lewiston mass shooting to see if they would like a similar gallery such as Brewer-Ross’s.

“It’s a small way to address change by continuing to have the stories shared. Every single number of people taken by gun violence, there is a person behind it and then there are all these people,” said Precourt, pointing to Brewer-Ross and Sloat’s family and friends.

On the walls were drawings made by his two-year-old daughter, Elle, a Facebook tribute post to Brewer-Ross, and paintings that he made in college, which included a Pasbt Blue Ribbon panting, a beer that Brewer-Ross was known to drink and one he shares his initials with.

His longtime friend, Emily Pettengill, created art woven from materials that reminded her of Brewer-Ross. She included a baseball shirt to symbolize where Brewer-Ross and Sloat met for the first time in 2008, along with some pink bows to represent their daughter.

Pettengill also added Slim Jim wrappers, the pepperoni stick treat that was Brewer-Ross’s favorite.

Peter Precourt hangs one of the works for the “There Goes My Hero: Chapter 1 Peyton Brewer-Ross” show on Thursday at the Art:Works on Main gallery in Winthrop. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal

Brewer-Ross was known for wearing an orange and yellow Slim Jim jacket and even wore it to the birth of Elle, Sloat remembered with a laugh. Sloat wore the jacket to his celebration of life and several boxes of Slim Jim were found around the gallery.

“He was such a comedian and so animated,” said Sloat. “He always wanted to make people laugh.”

The gallery has a space for visitors to write a memory of Brewer-Ross, where a few people started to leave notes.

“Hope there’s a cornhole league in heaven, Peyton,” one person wrote. “I know you will win.”