The unexpected death of Chilmark arts patron Marianne Goldberg has left a big hole in the arts scene on Martha’s Vineyard, say many of the artists who benefited from her vision and generosity. But her family said this week that Pathways, the arts organization she founded, will remain a vibrant part of the Island community.

“It’s going to continue,” said Donna Goldberg, Marianne’s sister. “The details I can’t really share yet, but it will continue. Our family wants that to happen.”

Marianne Goldberg founded the Pathways Gathering Space for Arts and Oceans in Chilmark. Artists of widely varied disciplines would perform at the Chilmark Tavern each winter. Donna Goldberg said her sister dreamed about such an organization from a very young age.

“It was her heart,” she said. “She had envisioned an artistic center when she was in her 20s, and shared it with me, so this was the culmination of her dreams.”

Friends said Ms. Goldberg loved being part of the inception of art.

The nonprofit group was active in the off season, providing artists with space and financial support, while creating community arts events for winter weary Islanders.

“People on their first visit were genuinely surprised to find a place like this,” said Richard Skidmore, a photographer who collaborated with Ms. Goldberg on a number of projects. He said Ms. Goldberg was very particular about the arrangement of the room. Her friends cited her wish to make the Chilmark Tavern like a living room, where she would keep a light on for the arts. “There would be music or dance or poetry or writing or painting or performance, any artistic discipline was welcome,” Mr. Skidmore said. “The space changed subtly, depending on what was going on there. It was always a warm and inviting space.”

For several years, Pathways has hosted a low key New Year’s Eve celebration, a place for friends to drop by and reminisce about the old and visualize the new. Some stop in on their way to other New Year’s celebrations. This year, though deeply saddened by the death of Ms. Goldberg, the organization opted to go ahead with the scheduled New Year’s Eve event, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Chilmark Tavern. Organizers want to make clear it is not a memorial service.

“The whole idea is to gather and celebrate the New Year’s coming,” said Scott Crawford, who worked closely with Ms. Goldberg as production manager for Pathways. “We want to keep it in that mode because that is what her desire was. We are planning a memorial for mid-January. That’s when people can come and share their thoughts and words.” The organization will continue the winter arts events planned for this season.

Tanya Augoustinos, who owns A Gallery in Oak Bluffs, is also part of the Pathways “crew” organizing programs and events.

“I think it’s a huge loss for the arts community,” Ms. Augoustinos said. “As a patron of the arts, we don’t have too many like her. Whether you’re a writer, a musician, a filmmaker, it was across the board, the people she helped.”

Ms. Goldberg enjoyed enormous admiration and gratitude from the artists she touched.

“It’s a huge loss,” said Valerie Sonnenthal, a photographer and editor who has participated in several Pathways events, and received a grant for her work photographing ocean themes. “She’s somebody who probably mixed it up in the arts more than other people, bringing people who had never met together.”

According to Mr. Skidmore, she saw her role as someone who could provide support for the artistic process.

“She wanted to be involved in the inception of pieces, the moment of creation, through giving sustenance in terms of funding to an artist at a critical moment,” Mr. Skidmore said.

George Davis, an Island attorney who plays acoustic guitar, participated in several Pathways events. “I looked forward to it,” Mr. Davis said. “It was a nice respite in the long winter months. I saw some really good art. Her vision was she would offer this and people would enjoy it. I think a lot of people appreciated it. It’s sad that she’s gone.”

Trained as a choreographer, Ms. Goldberg crisscrossed the worlds of academics and dance, writing for scholarly journals and popular dance magazines. Her love of the oceans was a recurring theme in the artistic endeavors she took on.

Her last major project was completed this past fall, when she sponsored residencies for 10 dancers who performed in collaboration with The Yard. Ms. Goldberg conducted a nationwide search for talented young dancers, and brought them to the Island to rehearse and perform. Two days before the residency performance at The Yard, Ms. Goldberg hosted a performance at her Chilmark home, overlooking Vineyard Sound.

“The dancers were dancing and rolling down her massive staircase, which is an elaborate work of art in itself,” said Alison Manning, Yard executive director and co-producer. “The audience followed the dancers down the staircase, and they danced both on the beach and in the water. She was just full of creative and artistic light. She wanted everyone to get to share that.”