Special Exhibit: Her Place by the Sea - The Alice Ware Armstrong Collection

The Sandwich Glass Museum is pleased to present the special exhibition, Her Place by the Sea.  This collection was donated by her granddaughter Junardi Armstrong.  Through the efforts of Ann Shea, A Museum intern, local teacher, and writer, Alice’s remarkable story begins to unfold…

Born in 1876 and deaf at an early age, Alice Lucy Ware Armstrong overcame the limitations of her disability and aspired to creative self-expression.  Her paintings were exhibited alongside some of the greatest Impressionists.  She  involved herself in the Arts and Crafts movement and the Boston Society of Arts and Crafts.  She operated her own woven goods shop in a corner of the Daniel Webster Inn.   Armed with the ability to lip read and speak, Alice pursued higher education, focusing on art.  She attended the Worcester Museum of Fine Arts, the Cowles Art School in Boston, and the School of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.  In 1902, her Portrait of Miss Anna L. was exhibited in the 71st Annual Exhibition of the Pennsylvania Academy of  Fine Arts along with the paintings by Edmund Tarbell, Frenk W. Benson, James McNeil Whistler, and Winslow Homer.

She was happily married, lived in East Sandwich and had four children.  This is a compelling exhibit, and a worthy tribute to a talented artist who overcame her disabilities and enjoyed a full and rewarding life.