Alicja Edwards: Artist, Author, Community Asset

Art has been a part of Alicja's life since her childhood days in Poland. Her early carefree days included lessons in ballet, piano as well as French and English. Art lessons, however, were her favorite. Her life suddenly and drastically changed in 1940 when she was sixteen. She and her family were interned in a slave labor camp in the Soviet Union where they suffered atrocities for 3 years. Following her family's liberation they moved to a refugee camp in Persia, now Iran.

Alicija met her husband, Ernest Edwards, an officer in the U.S. Army, during the 3 years she lived in Persia. They married in 1945, were transferred to Japan, Germany, and England, and finally settled in Chicago with their two children after Ernest's retirement. For over 40 years they had an antique shop in Chicago and Alicja continued to paint. Alicja received formal training in painting and drawing in France and at the Art Institute of Chicago.

In 2004, much to our delight, Alicja moved to Eureka, MT. She sells her art and antiques in her Around the Corner Antique Shop which is located in the alley behind InterBel Telephone. She is also an accomplished pianist...if you're lucky you can hear her playing when you drop by.

Her paintings and writing are a reflection of her life. They carry the moods, emotions, and cameos from everywhere she has lived. She has written two books about her life in the Soviet work camps and Persia: “And God Was Our Witness” and “They Called Us DP's,” and has painted a series of works that poingnantly depict the experiences of that time. Her paintings of the Tobacco Valley highlight the beauty of our town and the surrounding areas. She has the gift to bring out the splendor of simple things through her colors and brushstrokes.

“Glance back to the past, get a strength of what you went through and go into the future....and make sure you connect with the people because you need each other. This is what I found in Eureka, I found Art, I found Music, and I found Friendships.” - Alicja Edwards

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